Awakening
by Narutos Alter Ego
Summary: Naruto is killed after Pains attack... or so Danzo thinks. Betrayed and crestfallen, the boy turned man gains the Rinnegan and decides to make his own planet. Years later, the war torn world seeks aid from a myth known as the Rikudou Sennin, said to have a floating mass of earth housing a new country, as well as the revived and original 7 Swordsmen of the Mist. *Naruhina*
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Naruto is killed after Pains attack... or so Danzo thinks. Betrayed and crestfallen, the boy turned man gains the Rinnegan and chooses to make his own planet. Years later, the war torn world seeks aid from a myth known as the Rikudou Sennin, said to have a floating mass of earth housing a new country filled with the most advanced technology, as well as the revived and original 7 Swordsmen of the Mist, who's members contain the legendary swordsman, Kurosaki Ichigo.**

* * *

"I'm done..." Naruto collapsed, his body overtaken by a sudden wave of exhaustion. Half an hour ago, he was told he was the son of one of Konohas most prestigious Hokages, the Yondaime. -which was awesome!- He fought against Pain, the supposed leader of Akatsuki and came out victorious. But that wasn't the most surprising thing. The most surprising event, was that he made him see the error of his ways, and went as far as to convince him to revive all those that had perished that day. It had been one hell of a day, there was no denying that.

He felt his body hit something soft, and almost immediately, he wondered why the ground turned into marshmallows in his dazed mind. He cracked open his eyes to see the mask of his sensei, Hatake Kakashi. "Nice job, Naruto." The man accommodated the boy on his back and stood to start making their way towards whatever remained of their village.

Naruto smiled, his sensei had no idea how glad he felt to see him walking about like the village hadn't been obliterated from the face of the earth, or that he didn't just die an hour ago. "Kakashi-sensei..." The blond pressed his face against the Jonins back, unable to sustain the weight of his own own head, the stress on his body being far too much to handle, even for a shinobi as powerful as himself. "I'm glad you're alive..." Everyone had survived, and he was glad to no end for it. He only had a few precious people in his life, and he didn't want to lose any of them.

Kakashi chuckled and glanced back at his student, a student that had finally surpassed the teacher. He was glad, and extremely proud all the same to have been partly responsible for molding him into what he is now. He truly is going to be Hokage, and there was nothing anyone could say in denial. "You truly are your fathers son, Naruto." His sensei would of been full of pride and happiness to see his son turning into such a magnificent man.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto mumbled, his sensei's words barely registering in his head.

Kakashi noticed the little slip up, and immediately glanced back a bit surprised. "You know who your father is?" It was supposed to be an S-class secret, known only to the Hokage and a few others.

"Yeah..."

* * *

Back in what remained of the village, its people were waiting patiently for its hero, the one who had come mid battle and defeated Pain all by himself. The people were happy to have survived the entire ordeal, for thanks to their Jinchuuriki, all who perished had been revived.

"Isn't it his fault we were attacked in the first place?" One spiteful villager spoke offhand.

Silence.

The Rookies, comrades of the savior felt a slight tension in their bodies by the sudden change in aura the villagers poised. One moment, they were preparing themselves for a warm welcoming, the next however, anger became apparent like the villages demise. "Hey, he's right!" Then it began. The shouts, the cries for blood, and the demands for Narutos death. It took but a spark to ignite the moss fire, and a single controlled villager to change the fate of the planet.

"Kill him!"

"We want justice!"

"It was the foxes fault!"

"Where is that bastard?!"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, a deep frown on his scratched features. He looked about at the mob with distaste and came to an obvious conclusion, even if you lacked the IQ of a genius like himself, something was obvious; Naruto cannot come here. "Sakura! You need to cut Naruto off and tell him to not come directly towards the village, if he does, things could get bad!" Shikamaru shouted over the screams for blood in part of the villagers.

Sakura felt her delicate green eyes start to water, how could they suddenly change their opinion from a single negative shout towards the blond that had saved them all? She knew of his burden, and she would admit that she was scared at first, but deep inside, she knew Naruto was not influenced by the fox that was sealed in his very soul. Wiping her eyes with her wrist, she nodded once towards Shikamaru. "I got it!"

Kiba and Shino were practically shaking in anger, they could feel their blood boiling from the utter blasphemy of the idiocy the villagers exposed, he had just saved all their asses and look how they repay him! By making a mob that wants nothing more then his death. Ludicrous.

Hinata, the girl in love with the blond before he was even a shinobi, felt anger. Something rare and unheard of by the shy and beautiful teenage woman known to be the level headed and calm one of the Rookies. She knew of the burden the Jinchuuriki had, and she cared not, instead, her love for him only grew further, for the boy was protecting the village since he was born. Yet he was still considered an outcast and a troublemaker since he was able to walk. "Naruto-kun..."

Sakura pushed through the screeching crowd with relative ease, all thanks to the natural flexibility her womanly body gained from the breathtaking training her master, Senju Tsunade, provided for her in the duration Naruto was out of the village. She sidestepped left, right, jumped over three and twirled to her left to avoid a random melee weapon that was being waved about by some fool who thought he could even scratch her teammate. She would sooner slice his neck with a kunai before letting him touch Naruto.

Finally, after much hassle of dodging and jumping, she reached the edge of the mob. She took a couple breathers and made her way through the forest, where she could faintly sense the chakra signature that was her sensei, Hatake Kakashi. She ran through the trees, her breathing getting heavier with every step, but the worry of what could conclude if Naruto gets any closer keeping her adrenal glands pumping at full burst into her beaten body.

Sakura felt tears leaving her stunning green eyes, the liquid made its way down her cheekbones and pushed off from her face by the almost insufficient speed she was taking. She bit her bottom quivering lip and took in a shuddered breath, how could they do this to Naruto? She knew he was a little annoying sometimes, and he could be a pest at the most inconvenient of times, but even so, he was the kindest and most heartwarming person she knew. He was seelfless and giving most of the time, enough to put his life in front of the face of adversity when his comrades were in danger.

Yet they still hated him for the fox that has haunted him since he was born. She loved him, like a friend or a close comrade she loved him, and so did the Rookies, because they had the common sense to see the difference from a container, and the contained. They were fools, fools for not being able to see the love Naruto had for his village, fools for not seeing the kind heart he had towards others, fools for not seeing the selfless act of giving his life for them all.

She jumped to one side of a tree and used chakra to stick to it, in a single push of her joints, the Chunin launched herself in the direction Naruto and Kakashi outlined in the distance. "Naruto..." How was she going to tell him? How was she going to tell him that the village had gone up in arms just to finish what Sakura did not doubt had been attempted when he was born. "Naruto! Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto felt a slight chill in his body seeing the fear, bordering on horror imprinted on Sakuras usually beautiful face. Instantly, Naruto forced his way down Kakashis back, despite the tight hold the Jonin had on Naruto to avoid dropping him. "Sakura-chan, what's wrong?!" The blond asked, a delicate coating of determination hiding the feeling of dread concurring through his already battle worn mind.

"The villagers, they-!"

"Enough."

All eyes went towards the shadowy figure that was Danzo, the leader of ROOT, the unwanted yet needed source of evil in the Leaf Village. The man stepped into the light, which had been obscuring his warn torn body by a large tree, the usual limp in his step giving a false sense of security for enemies who dare attack him, the sense of shroudy intent made them all uneasy. "You two," the man glanced at both Kakashi and Sakura, his voice firm and authoritative. "Go back to the village, you are not needed here. I will handle this personally."

Sakura did not like this man, she could literally feel his dark intentions, and she would be damned before leaving Naruto in his weakened condition alone with the elder. She took a step forward, opposition her clear intentions to whatever the old man was planning. But before she could open her mouth, Kakashi placed a gentle yet commanding hand on her shoulder, stopping her from doing anything that would later come back and bite them.

He shook his head and made her take a step back as he took one further. "If I may ask, Danzo-sama. What are your intentions to speak with Naruto alone?"

"That," Danzo spoke with a slight edge to his speech. "Is none of your concern, _Jonin_. I will be acting Hokage as of now, since Tsunade has entered a state which won't allow her to continue her position."

Narutos eyes widened at the news, he was surprised but at the same time expectant of it; she had healed the entire village by herself, it was expected of such pros. "Baa-chan?! Is she ok?! Is there anything we can do?!"

"Calm down, Naruto." Kakashi advised.

"At the moment, she is in a stable condition." Danzo stated playing along, his one visible eye narrowing at the Copy Ninja. "As I said before, Hatake, Haruno, I need to speak with the Jinchuuriki, alone. Now, if you would please."

"Forgive me, Danzo-sama. But, I cannot le-"

"I will not repeat myself once more, _Hatake_." Danzo said losing his patience in a slowly declining rate. The elder snapped his fingers, around them appeared a squad made out of 16 ROOT agents, all of them prepared for the order to slaughter whoever their master indicated. "You are disobeying both a Hokage and a elder, Hatake, Haruno. Either you walk away now so I may inform Naruto of the current situation in what remains of the village, or, both of you are charged with treason and insubordination for disobeying a direct order from your superior."

"You can't do tha-!"

"Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto interrupted Sakura's pointless fruit for any hope of getting their way. Somehow, he had an idea of what the man wanted to tell him, but if he was going to be told, for some reason, he did not want to by people he cared for deeply. He just couldn't allow his facade of bravery to shatter in front of them. Not when he suspected what the situation was with the villagers. "Please... let us talk, alone."

Kakashi hesitated, Sakura looked at him with worried and moisture filled eyes, but he kept his expression firm and demanding as best he could. The Copy Nin sighed and patted Sakura on the back. Sakura looked at the hidden smile of his sensei and lowered her head. Finally, both of them started making their way towards the villagers who were wanting to assassinate their comrade. Naruto watched with a stony expression as two of his most precious people left him alone with fate, until they disappeared completely from his line of sight. "Tell me what you have to say."

Danzo smiled, Naruto cringed.

"Gah!" In less then a second, a Tanto went through his heart, liver, lungs, stomach, spine, arms, legs and every major organ needed for the human body to survive, all 16 of the ROOT agents made work of their blades. Blood dripped down his chin, the source coming from his mouth, his vision turned wavy, his breathing was starting to slow down and his consciousness was slowly fading. "W-why...?" Naruto muttered. The forest around turning from its normal luscious green, to a pitch black that reminded him of Sasuke's **Amaterasu** flames.

Naruto dropped to his knees, the sound of his flesh meeting the ground echoed and rebounded in his ludicrously inhibited mind, denial that the end of his shinobi career immediately coming in first. Second came regret, but his training as a shinobi negated the overlaying steps; he was screwed, not even Kurama could save him now.

"This is how it needs to be, Uzumaki." Naruto raised his head, even if his brain registered it as a one hundred ton boulder, he forced the last of his strength to hear the last words of the man responsible for his death. "You could be a worthy weapon, I have not doubt about it. Since you were born, I have been looking for a way to include you into my ranks. But, unfortunately, the gains no longer meet the losses. Akatsuki wants you, and in order to ruin their plans, I need to kill the Kyuubi. By killing you."

'Kyuubi huh...?' Again he was being pushed to the brink of death because of the fox that had been stuck in his gut for over 16 years. How many attempts had there been with this one? He honestly stopped counting after the last milestone of a hundred. His eyes turned dazy and glassy, his body no longer registered pain as the ROOT agents mercilessly pulled out all sixteen sharp blades out of his body at the same time. He coughed out a bulge of blood, then fell face first onto the crimson colored grass below.

"Prepare for the next step..." Danzo ordered. A single ROOT agent with a cat mask bowed at the elder, he nodded towards his comrades, and they prepared to continue. "I saved the villagers the trouble of dealing with you. Had you reached the village you would of seen a very familiar sight, a nostalgic sight of your childhood. A sight filled with glares and repulsion, a sight where even your comrades will look at you with distaste." As Danzo spoke, his men started sticking hundreds of Super Explosive Tags all over Narutos body, from head to toe. "I know your regeneration pros, Uzumaki. But, even a Jinchuuriki cannot survive getting stabbed in all major organs at once, then blown into dust a minute after."

Naruto's worries were confirmed, the villagers wanted him dead. He knew that today would either be a day where he would finally be accepted, or the day where he could no longer live within the Leaf. Somehow, he should of seen this coming. The last thing he saw before a ROOT agent placed a tag over his eyes was the smug and emotionless face of Danzo looking down at him. He could no longer go back to the Leaf, not when the whole population blamed him for its destruction. He no longer had a reason to live. He didn't even get a chance to answer Hinata's confession.

* * *

"PATHETIC."

Naruto struggled to open his eyes and see he was in his mindscape, the knee deep water in sight, yet his body felt nothing as it covered most of his legs, the familiar gate that held his misery in full view, the large pipes in the ceiling stretching out as far as his sight could reach, which was not much, for the light in the scape seemed dimmed at best. Ever so slowly, he raised his head to see Kurama standing on all fours, an image that would inspire any artist to draw the magnificent creature as it stood proud and tall. "Kyuubi..." Naruto muttered, his body feeling exponentially weak even in his mindscape.

The Nine Tailed Fox glared down with the edges of his mouth scrunched into a feral scowl that would make any living shinobi lose all hopes of leaving alive in the presence of such an overpowering creature. But Naruto would not. What else did he have to fear? He was already dead strictly speaking. "BRAT..." the fox spoke in disgust, a ferocious growl escaping his mouth, repugnance clear in his red slitted eyes to speak in such a disappointing way towards a human he was starting to accept as a worthy container. "ARE YOU GIVING UP ALREADY?!"

Narutos body clenched as the shout adjoining to scream made a chill crawl down his pain inhibited nerves, the magnitude of the screech making the walls and the water below him reverberate by the shockwave that would of taken down a tree in repercussion. Naruto felt warm tears fill his eyes, he knew the fox was right, he was supposed to be a shinobi who never gave up, one that would acknowledge a challenge and take it head on. But this... "What else am I supposed to do, Kyuubi?! Even if I survive I can't go back to Konoha without having everyone blaming me for its destruction! What the hell more can I do now, huh?!"

"FOOL!" The Kyuubi roared, once more causing Naruto to shake as he took the blast as best he could in his weakened condition. "IF YOU DIE SO WILL I! I REFUSE TO ALLOW MY CONTAINER TO PERISH IN SUCH A PATHETIC WAY!" The fox slapped his hands together in pray. He searched for something hiding deep inside of him, a certain type of chakra that he never expected to be needed. 'THIS CHAKRA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GIVEN TO THE ONE ME AND MY BRETHREN CHOSE AS THE ONE THE OLD MAN SAID, AND I HAVE NO DOUBT IT'S YOU, I KNOW MY KIN WOULD AGREE. THE SUBSTANCE IN GENERAL WAS LEFT TO ME ALONE ANYWAYS. THANKFULLY, THOSE FOOLS STABBED THE KID EXACTLY WHERE HIS MAJOR TENKETSU'S STOOD, THIS SHOULD IMBUE ITSELF WITH THE SENJU DNA HIDING DEEP IN HIS CELLS AND GIVE HIM WHAT I HOPE IT DOES."

Naruto stared in wonder as the Kyuubi leaked chakra out of his body and through the pipes overhead. Oddly however, this chakra wasn't red, it was purple. "What are you doing...?" The blond asked bewildered. A pulse went through his body, a single pulse that made him clutch the area where his heart signaled life, he felt sick and outage, like his body was shutting down by the overwhelming feeling of his blood turning into lead. His breathing became labored, his hearing turned mute, and his eyes... they were on fire. "AAAHHHHH!" With one final shout he clutched both his eyes as they stinged and throbbed in a silken line of excruciating pain.

"THIS IS THE LAST MEMENTO I HAD OF YOU, OLD MAN... " Kyuubi whispered, the momentary moment of emotion almost making him scoff. "THIS IS CHAKRA THAT WAS SEALED WITHIN ME, CHAKRA THAT BELONGED TO THE SAGE OF THE SIX PATHS, NARUTO. THIS WILL GIVE YOU THE POWER YOU NEED TO SURVIVE AND DO AS YOU WISH. I WILL TAKE AHOLD OF YOUR BODY MOMENTARILY, YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE THIS ALONE." The Kyuubi stated, releasing the seal he was using to locate the long forgotten chakra.

* * *

Danzo saw with much satisfaction as the last tag was placed on the Jinchuuriki's eyes. For a single moment however, he could of sworn on his long lost compassion that the boys eyes turned purple with a red slit in the middle. He shook his head and turned to start making his way for the village that needed a leader that would rule with an iron fist. Him.

Various minutes of walking later, he did a single seal, and allowed himself a small smile hearing the explosion in the distance.

* * *

Half an hour later, Naruto stared at his reflection in a small lake miles away from Konoha, those purple and circular filled eyes stared right back. He chuckled. Sasuke's gunna be pist when he sees this. Minutes ago, he had gone and checked for verification of Danzos words, and wasn't surprised to see the villagers with torches and pitchforks, all of them calling for his blood. How pitiful. Why did he bother with them? He didn't know if it was thanks to his new eyes that he could see through their false sense of care, or that he finally grew up thanks to his own 'comrades' attempting an assassination.

Probably both.

"I no longer have a home... what now... Kurama...?" Naruto asked, still not used to calling the fox demon by his birth given name. Thanks to him he could live, thanks to his chakra and the Sages chakra, but now what? He no longer had a purpose in life, his dream of being Hokage was brushed aside by the cold hand of fate, and he no longer felt like there was a need for him in the world. He no longer wanted to _be_ in the world. His comrades had abandoned him, -hell they might've even helped in someway at the attempt of his persona,- and his life was lingering on misery, lesser beings would of killed themselves by now.

Kurama simply laid on his belly, his red eyes illuminating the damp and dark cavern that was his domain. "MAKE YOUR OWN HOME, KIT."

Naruto mused that for a moment. His thoughts on the fight with Pain somehow returning to him, but more importantly, a technique that the leader of Akatsuki used to build a planet of his own. Naruto grinned. Kurama chuckled. Crafty bastard.

* * *

**A/N: New story new adventure, I'm excited for this one. R&R and tell me what you think people's!**


	2. Chapter 2: The long road ahead

"Ugh...! Had I known it was that much of a pain, I would of taken a second to think about it, Kurama..." Naruto grumbled as he walked down the dirt road surrounded by a green forest and the scorching sun, wearing a full body black coat with a hood that covered him from head to toe. Naruto was grumbling for an appropriate reason, for the fox had either failed to mention, or just neglected to mention that to make a small planet he would need extreme training, concentration, stamina, and all in all _skill_ as well as years of training with the Rinnegan.

The fox neglected the human act of rolling his eyes at his container, dealing with him was like dealing with a five year old that knows not what effort is. Although he would admit that he still got the job done, though he'd do it complaining. "DID YOU EXPECT TO GET THE OLD MANS EYES ONE MINUTE, THEN BE ABLE TO CAST A JUTSU THAT WOULD KILL YOU THE NEXT? DON'T BE A FOOL KID!"

Naruto winced to one side at the fox's scolding, nonetheless the frown on his face did not diminish. "Well, no... but I didn't think it would be _that_ much of a pain either... by the way, I've been meaning to ask you, is there some way to deactivate these eyes? I mean it wouldn't be good to be seen with them right?" The blond asked a bit hopeful.

"I DON'T THINK YOU CAN, I NEVER SAW THE OLD MAN WITHOUT THEM IN ALL THE TIME I SPENT WITH HIM... OR REMEMBER FOR THAT MATTER."

"Ugh, you're lotsa help..."

"WHAT THE HELL AM I, A DOJUTSU ENCYCLOPEDIA?! FIND YOUR OWN DAMN ANSWERS KID!"

"Alright alright calm down! I was just asking a question... no need to get your tails in a jumble, sheesh..." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the dirt, and wondered for the hundredth time how it was even possible to have such perfect sight. Everything looked sharp, living things had a purple or blue glow to it, even the dirt he was walking on had chakra leaking out.

However.

Narutos eyebrows twitched in meager annoyance. The sun was meeting his covered face full force, yet the luminous purple glow that his eyes gave were still visible at the edge of his hood. He sighed, how annoying. He was still in Fire Countries eastern border, and he had yet to see the damn ocean, but at least it wasn't as hot as he expected. The blond wiped his brow and glared at the liquid on his hand. Or at least he _thought_ it wasn't that hot.

The blond sighed once more and his mind wandered back to everyone in the village... his comrades. He shook that thought away, he was no longer a Leaf nin, they were no longer his 'comrades'. His stomach growled loudly and he scowled hearing Kurama chuckle. "I'm hungry..." ah, how he wished he could be sitting at Ichiraku's right about now ravaging a bowl of ramen like there was no tomorrow. His shoulders slumped remembering that there _was_ no longer an Ichirakus, it was destroyed a few days ago.

He kicked a rock in the middle of the road and entertained the idea that the rock was Danzo's head for a few minutes. He glanced to the side of the road and smiled when he saw a small bundle of fresh pink flowers. "Sakura-chan..." the Jinchuuriki sighed, an act he was getting far too familiar with and kicked the rock he was playing with a little to hard, so much that it got lost within the forest surrounding him.

He loved Sakura, with all his heart he did, he really really did. Her beautiful pink hair, her equally pink lips, her gentle and if needed fierce green eyes, her fair skin... she was everything he could want in a girl. Her personality would allow her to be kind in the right moments, but dangerous whenever he needed a good beating to get him back in line, and that was perhaps what he found most attractive of her. That or he was a masochist who liked getting beat up by small girls. He shrugged while grinning, maybe a good balance of both.

His grin disappeared, however, remembering a girl who was equally beautiful, but a _hell_ of alot gentler. And unlike Sakura, this girl _did_ love him, she made it quite clear when she jumped in front of Pain for his safety. He felt saddened that he did not feel the same, but it was the truth, no more, no less. He loved Haruno Sakura, not Hyuuga Hinata. But like any other man, he knew a gorgeous woman when he saw one. She had long and undoubtedly soft indigo hair, adorable lavender eyes, the fairest skin he had ever seen, and pink full pouting lips. She was hot. He tilted his head to one side, as if musing something logical. Or was she cute? He shrugged once more dismissing the matter for further research.

Why him though? Hinata was beautiful, cute, rich, strong, rich, a clan heiress, rich, smart, oh, and did he mention rich? No, rich would be an understatement. She was loaded! She could have any guy she wanted! Although he would admit she was a little weird. Every time he was around her she would catch allegedly random colds, stutter, play with her fingers -albeit cutely-, and look at him with googly eyes.

Naruto stopped.

His eyes widened, everything making sense now, a sudden urge of wanting to slap himself overtaking his body.

Instead, he just connected his palm with his face. Hard enough to imprint his hand into it.

He sighed and started walking once more, wondering how in the _hell_ he could be so oblivious. He consoled himself, however, that he had actually figured something out before any of the Rookies or _Shikamaru_ did! They would of told him had they known right? They didn't tell him because they didn't know, _obviously_! Seriously though, that was since the academy, how could nobody of noticed all the beacons flashing red? Quite literally too. He sighed and continued leisurely.

Whatever.

The fact of the matter was that he simply didn't love her.

Although her confession... he simply did not know. He always had a soft spot for her, he always had the need to protect her, like a drive that simply made him care for her. To always keep her from harms way no matter what, even if he had to keep her next to him at all times to have no harm befall the girl. It was something he couldn't explain, maybe he did feel something for her... or maybe he didn't? "Gah! This is so confusing!" Something was certain; he would not of been able to give her a straight answer immediately, even if everything had gone well with the Leaf.

Frustrated, Naruto removed his hood to reveal a couple of horn like messes of blond hair. Oddly, those two had appeared about a day after he acquired the Rinnegan. Kurama said something about 'the old man' having the same things, so he payed no mind. He thought it looked cool anyways. Naruto sniffed, once, twice. He narrowed his Rinnegan eyes as he walked, and there it was, the freakin sea. Bout' time too.

"Hey Kurama?" Naruto asked with a slight jump to his step.

"WHAT?"

"So how far is Water Country?" Naruto asked, a grin growing with each step he took towards the ocean. Water Country was their destination, why? Kurama didn't say...

"ABOUT 1200 MILES FROM THE COAST." Kurama answered simply, yawning an infecting yawn as he did.

"..." Naruto didn't stop his trek towards the ocean, but his face did stop growing that goofy grin threatening to kill him. Then his eyes filled with untamed horror over the sudden news. "What the hell! 1200 MILES?! As in those imperial units that go far as hell?!"

"..." Kurama waited for it, he wanted this to be memorable. "OF COURSE NOT BAKA!" He waited for it once more. Naruto sighed in apparent relief and Kurama gave a canine filled grin, the kind that would scare a child to sleep, permanently. "I MEANT _NAUTICAL_ MILES! HAHAHAHA!"

Naruto would of passed out, but he was 1200 _nautical_ miles away from the next village, and he was hungry enough to eat a Nine Tailed Fox...

* * *

**+KONOHA+**

"Where's Naruto?!"

"Calm down Sakura!" Kakashi advised, restraining the smaller girl as best he could. It had been a few days since the blond had went missing, and the last time they saw him was with Danzo. So that was Sakura's target.

"I am not obliged to answer that question." Danzo simply stated, continuing with paperwork that needed to get done; he had no time for small pests seeking their host. The village had become liveable now thanks to his efforts, he built the Hokages office to center the village, he placed many living facilities for shinobi and civilians alike, he brought in food and medicine supplies from his connections in other countries, he even brought various missions to get some revenue into this 'broken' village. He had no time for this.

"Yes you do." Danzo raised his one eye from his work to see the Rookies, the comrades of the boy he had killed, all of them placed with unbreakable determination to receive an answer. Fine then, they want an answer, he would give them one. "Naruto has been missing for the past few days, and we want an answer." Shikamaru stated firmly. "What did you do to him?"

"And why should I answer you?" Danzo retorted, his patience wearing thin. That was never good, people start to die when he loses patience. Although he knew he would lose nothing saying the truth, he wouldn't gain anything from it either. So, Danzo would classify this as a pointless conversation that would give no benefit.

"Isn't it obvious?" Shikamaru asked quizzically, formulation of various ideas and reasons making the gears in his head turn at speeds only a genius like himself could. "We have the backup of three Jonin, and nine Chunin. Either you tell us what we ask for, or we start denying missions that are lower then S-class, and with the situation the village is right now, that wouldn't prove to well would it?" Shikamaru finished, shoving his hands in his pockets, a look of indifference hiding the concern he felt for his comrade.

Danzo raised an eyebrow at this, but nothing else. "And you're all in accordance to this I assume?" The man asked narrowing his eye at the three Jonin's in front of him, Kakashi, Gai, and Neji. All three male Jonin's nodded, showing that they were willing to put their comrades in front of Konoha as a whole.

Danzo would admit, although begrudged, that he admired their courage and guts to speak to him in such a way. But, he was a military leader, something they should know before trying to take answers from him. Nonetheless, he would amuse them and tell them what they wanted to hear so badly. Maybe then they would leave him to fix this _mess_ Tsunade left for him. "He's dead. I ordered his death." Just like that, Danzo went back to work.

The Rookies froze. Their determination turned into an ice cold shower of reality by a mere six words that caused their brain to cease all production. Tears met the wooden floor below, from both a pinket and a indigo haired girl. Both felt their heart shatter at the notion of a blond they considered invincible to be dead, and killed by their own leader no less. Grief could not even be processed yet, their minds had yet to work through the shock grieving inside it. The only thing they could do was let the tears flow, and stand still with their faces stuck in a state of incomprehensible logic.

He was dead.

"Your lying." Kiba mumbled, he knew Naruto since they were kids, and they were friendly rivals ever since. For him to die... it had to be a lie.

Danzo fixed his gaze with them all. "Quite the contrary." Danzo pulled a drawer to his left and seemed to be roaming through it, looking for something. Finally, finding what he wanted, he placed it on the table. It was Narutos Hitaite. Its black wrapping was burnt in various places. It was recovered after one of his ROOT agents was sent back to investigate the area, strangely though, it was found a bit off from where the explosion took place, laying next to a big tree covered in leafs.

Hinata dropped to her knees and wept her innocent eyes out, her heart ached and the pressure she felt in her soul was excruciating to the point of almost passing out. Sakura fell in suit with Hinata, the pain of losing Naruto, one of her last connections to Sasuke, one of the last connections to Team 7 being too much for her to handle alone. Ino immediately went to kneel beside them both, her eyes filled with tears as well, but she knew her pain did not even compare to what her two friends were feeling.

Kiba clenched his teeth, the scent coming from the Hitaite was undoubtedly Naruto's, it had his smell, but it also reeked of blood and ash, it gave him a small feeling of repulse by its stench. There was no doubt about it, it was Naruto's blood. He really was dead. "You bastard." Kiba's body began to shake, killer intent filled the room and without a single shred of forgiveness he leapt towards his leader. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Before he got any closer, Gai stopped him from making a foolish mistake. He took ahold of both his arms from behind and stopped him from doing something he would later regret. "Calm down boy! You can't do that!" The Jonin announced, keeping the screaming and struggling Chunin from making a mistake that would most likely cost him his life.

"I don't care! This bastard killed Naruto! I won't let him get away with it unharmed! No way in hell!" Kiba felt the edges of his eyes sting, pronounced only by the weeping form of Hinata, Ino and Sakura crying on the wooden floor right next to him, the rage and fury of what this bastard did to his friend and just sitting there casually left a bad taste in his mouth. "Let me go!"

"Kakashi!" Gai screamed for aid towards his life long rival. Unfortunately, as he inspected his rival, he could see the man was barely holding _himself_ back, for his hands were clenched and shaking, his visible eye was narrowed and he had already taken a menacing step forward. Only his training of being an ANBU was keeping his body from taking another step and slicing the mans neck open, like oh so many times before, but he knew this would give him an inexplicable feeling of accomplishment. "Kakashi get a grip!"

'I am a shinobi of the leaf, I am not to attempt against it no matter the reason. I am a shinobi of the leaf, I am not to attempt against it no matter the reason.' Kakashi again and again repeated his oath when becoming a Jonin of Konoha like it was some sort of mantra. But again and again the image of a little blond boy following him around kept crawling back into his mind. With every memory, it got harder to keep his composure and not pounce on his leader, kunai in hand.

If Danzo could smile widely, he certainly would; this was just too amusing. "You all need to understand something," Danzo spoke, setting the paper he was examining on the wooden desk. "Uzumaki Naruto was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, the Akatsuki are _after_ the Kyuubi. We currently do not hold the resources necessary to protect him. If he stays the Leaf dies, if he leaves, the shinobi world dies, if he dies then Akatsuki's plans are ruined, and the world survives. If one shinobi needs to die in order to have the rest of the world live, then I will _not_ hesitate in killing him myself." The acting Hokage said determined.

"Now," the same squad that was used to terminate the Kyuubi appeared as a barrier in front of the elders desk, all of them ready to take action. "I have work to do, and unless I summon you, I do not want _any_ of you in my office again. Do I make myself clear?"

The Rookies and their sensei's glared at the man, but none dared take a step forward and be classified missing nin's. They all stood at attention, their sorrow and anger clearly visible on their expressions, not bothering to even mask it. "Hai. Hokage-sama." They all chorused. They turned and made way out of the Hokage's office without muttering another word. Nothing they did to him would bring Naruto back, all they could do now was morn his loss, and doubt their allegiance to Konoha if Danzo was made Hokage.

* * *

**+SOMEWHERE AROUND WATER COUNTRY'S OCEAN+**

"Hey hey, Kurama... how long until we get there...?" The Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi had been walking over the calm oceans that lead to Water Country for over 30 hours... maybe more, he honestly didn't know for certain. For the first few hours he ran at full force while Kurama kept pumping his own chakra in order to increase his speed threefold. But even then, he felt like he had barely advanced at all.

"HMMM..." Kurama seemed to ponder that thought for a moment, tipping his massive claws on his home in a melodic theme that seemed to echo inside the cage. "CONSIDERING THAT YOU'VE BEEN RUNNING AT SPEEDS THAT DEFY ANY OTHER HUMANS CAPABILITIES THANKS TO MY CHAKRA, ADDING THAT YOU YOURSELF HAVE IMPECCABLE STAMINA, PLUS THE WIND DIRECTION BEING ODDLY IN YOUR FAVOR, AS WELL AS THE CALM SEA FOR THE PAST HOURS... I'D SAY YOUR ABOUT... A QUARTER OF THE WAY THERE... PROBABLY LESS."

Naruto took a deep breath in order to speak his mind in a way he believed appropriate. "Say what?! A quarter of the way there?! I've been going for over thirty hours! Both walking _and_ running nonstop! How is it that I'm barely a quarter of the way th-?!"

"CALM YOURSELF FOOL! I WAS JOKING. WE SHOULD BE ARRIVING THERE RIGHT ABOUT, NOW..."

Naruto perked up immediately when he saw something far in the distance, it looked like mist, but as he got closer his magnificent eyes began to do their thing. The three tomoes on every circular orb of his Rinnegan eyes seemed to spin wildly, giving off a beautiful exposition of a purple colored essence created by the gods themselves, sourcing from his intimidating yet soft purple eyes. "What...?" Naruto slurred, surprised and awed that the mist covering what seemed to be a shore started to clear all on its own. Somehow though, he knew it was still there, only now it was transparent to his eyes.

'THIS KID...' Kurama felt impressed but slightly bothered by this for some reason. How could he not of noticed the difference between his father's eyes and the kids eyes? Naruto's eyes had three tomoes in each circle of the Rinnegan eyes, something the old man never had. Could it be some kind of a mutation? Or was he just being paranoid? 'NO... THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO LOOK INTO MYSELF, THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING TO IT... WHEN DEALING WITH THE OLD MAN'S EYES, ONE CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL...'

Naruto, oblivious to Kuramas musing reached the golden shore and planted his feet firmly on the sand, finally he could walk without the need of chakra. He laughed without restraint for a minute at his mindset and started walking into the forest in front of him. He stopped in front of the first tree to examine it, every curve, every bump was registered and stored in his brain in a way only people with photographic memory could do. "Wow..."

Naruto removed the coat that was covering his persona and started walking further into the dark green forest, with the mist that gave Water Country its reputation being nonexistent to his eyes. Finally, after countless minutes of walking, he found a dirt road that would certainly lead to a village, or civilization if he was lucky. He took in his surroundings and noticed that the mist unfortunately covered the lands natural beauty. But, he would admit that the refreshing mist kept his skin moist and the heat away.

"Hey Kurama, now what?" Naruto asked breaking the eery silence surrounding the woods, which was odd considereing there should be birds and other creatures in such a nice weather.

"WE WAIT AND SEE." The fox responded.

Naruto pouted, annoyed by the fox's cryptic talking. For an 'all knowing being' he sure as hell didn't know what they were doing. Or maybe he just didn't want to tell him.

"JUMP KID!"

"Oh shit!"

*BOOM!*

Naruto realised to late that he stepped on a hidden Explosive Tag, he jumped but was still hurled back by the explosion. He went straight through two thick trees until the third one finally stopped his flight, a crunch of his ribs immediately made him scream and wince in pain, the taste of blood reached his mouth and he knew he was in deep, he had internal damage and if he was right, several of his ribs either cracked or broke entirely.

"Shit...what a nice welcoming... Kurama, if you would be so kind...?" The great Nine Tailed Fox cursed and instantly sent a wave of red chakra into Naruto's body. Naruto literally breathed a sigh of relief when Kurama's chakra started mending his body back into place. He coughed some blood and rubbed it on the grass below him. Damn that hurt.

"You!" Naruto turned his dazed head towards a female voice coming from his right. A team of four ANBU were rushing towards him, jumping from tree branch to tree branch. It seemed they were Kirigakure shinobi. Great. Just what he needed, more shinobi trying to kill him. The woman landed next to him and immediately gawked at the speed all visible injurys were healing, they were starting to heal at an _inhuman_ rate. "Who are you? And why are you in the middle of the front lines?"

Naruto would of tilted his head to the side wondering about why there was a front line in Kirigakure, last he checked there hadn't been a war in the region for years now. "F-front, lines?" The blond slurred, his voice cracking and the blood running down the side of his head indicated he received a hard blow to the back of the head.

The woman gasped when she locked eyes with the blonds, as did her comrades, who took a step back in complete shock and denial. "Th-those eyes, they're the legendary Dojutsu, the Ri-rinnegan... with those eyes, could he...? But how could this be...?!" One of her comrades asked, fear with a thin coating of hope covering his words.

"Oh, crap..." Naruto muttered, looks like his cover was blown. 'Kurama! Can't you fix me faster?! Were about to get discovered here!'

"REMEMBER THE SEAL'S STILL IN PLACE IDIOT! THE CHAKRA I'M GIVING YOU IS BEING FILTERED, IT ONLY ALLOWS SO MUCH, AND THIS IS THE MOST I CAN GIVE YOU!" Kurama responded irritated, but it fell on deaf ears, for Naruto had already passed out.

The woman ANBU made an obvious decision. "Were taking him to Mizukage-sama. We'll let her decide what to do with him." Toss all responsibility to his superior. "Come on." The woman took the blond and accommodated him on her back to start their way back to Kirigakure. Her leader would either be surprised with delight or outraged as well as mad for bringing him towards the last loyal standing village in the country, but there was no other choice. Not when he had _those_ eyes.

* * *

Naruto cracked open his eyes, they ached, but it was normal; he hadn't slept in days, and the brightness in the room wasn't helping either. Slowly and carefully, he came to a sitting position, however it was meaningless, for his body was already at tip top shape; looks like Kurama was working over time. His shimmering Rinnegan eyes became sharp and focused in a millisecond, the answer to what got him unconscious in the first place coming back to him. "Where am I?"

He looked around and noticed he was in some kind of office, it was well illuminated, but he could see it was night time thanks to the windows on the back. A finely crafted desk sat in the middle of the room, various windows in rows overlooked what looked like a village. seemingly, he was inside of a two or three story high building, by what he could tell from the view.

"You, my little blond, are in Kirigakure." The Namikaze snapped his head to the side to see, what he considered, a freakishly _sexy_ women suddenly standing next to the desk that was previously empty. She wore a long sleeved, dark blue dress, she had soft and kind green eyes, ankle length auburn hair, two bangs were short, with one covering her right eye, and two were long, crossing each other on her incredibly pronounced bust, just below her chin. She smiled sweetly at him, and Naruto could not help the barely noticeable blush from crossing his features. "My name is Mei Terumī, the Mizukage. May I ask your name?" She asked, her voice soothing and enchanting.

Naruto hesitated to tell her his name for obvious reasons, for he knew what the outcome might be. "For how long was I out?" Naruto answered her question with another question. He would avoid telling her his name until it was necessary to say so.

Mei was a bit perturbed by the way the blond avoided to respond her question, but she wouldn't press further. "Two days, nameless-kun." She teased, going around her desk and slowly making her way towards him. "You were in such a bad condition that we had to wrap you up with bandages and medicinal ointments."

Naruto moved his eyes down to where he was laying, and effectively, there were various bandages with blood coloring them crimson. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It was no trouble, nameless-kun." Mei said cheerfully. "Now then, I believe it is time for you to answer _me_ some questions. Firstly, please tell me, what are you doing in Kirigakure? Secondly, tell me your name. And thirdly, why do you have the legendary Dojutsu, the Rinnegan?"

"DON'T ANSWER HER." Kurama advised. "NOT YET, WE NEED TO KNOW IF WE CAN TRUST HER."

Naruto mentally nodded. He stood to stand next to the window and stared out to the Village Hidden in the Mist, noting that the 'mist' was missing thanks to his eyes. It gave him a clear view of a city with various tall buildings and homes, all of them humble with an aura of calmness and humility. "I'm sorry. But I cannot answer any of those questions. Not until you tell me what's going on in this country." Naruto stated. It was faint, but he could see a blue hue in the direction outside of the village walls, a hue that indicated piled up chakra signatures. "There's an army in the horizon..."

The Mizukage was intrigued by this, only her and what remained of her loyal shinobi knew of the army to the north of the village walls. "I suspect that you being able to see an army hundreds of miles north of the village has something to do with your eyes?" Naruto did not answer, he simply stayed rooted in place, staring out into the distance. Mei smiled and walked to stand next to him, her arms folded under her breasts. "My attempts to reform internal policies between the clans in my village were not accepted, at least, not by the clan-less shinobi, which are seventy percent of my forces."

"Let me guess..." Naruto interrupted, his mind doing circles around what could of gone wrong with that. "The Bloodline Purges again?"

The Mizukage sighed and stared out into the village that was currently facing annihilation. "Hai, it seems bad blood never dies. It first started a few months ago with small things against clan members, things like discrimination, overpriced products, glares and open threats. I did not give it much attention, I thought it would pass in time, but I was mistaken. The shinobi in general started disrespecting the clan members. After weeks of conflict and ways to find a solution for the coming storm, we were too late."

Naruto side glanced at her, she was shaking, either from fury, fear or frustration, Naruto could not tell. "Why did you not ask for assistance from other Hidden Villages?"

"When my shinobi started taking arms against my will and began killing clan members, I did not get the opportunity to recreate diplomatic relations with other villages." The Mizukage took a deep breath to calm herself. "We were able to run them out since they were outclassed by me and my clan members. But, as time passed by, they were slowly starting to pick us down one by one, until we only had enough members to hold Kirigakure. But not for long. As you can see, the rebel armies are already closing in with everything they got. We cannot fight them, and we can no longer defend against them."

Naruto felt a shocking sensation crawl through his body, however his outward appearance betrayed nothing. These people, these clan members, they all lived through the same hell he lived as a child. Remembering such things felt like something inside him struggled to go free, like some kind of weightless energy was crawling through his veins, and for a moment he was beginning to wonder if he was suffering from some sort of sickness. '**Let your emotions out in the open**...' Narutos eyes widened hearing an unfamiliar but powerful and wise voice. He raised his right hand and watched in awe as purple chakra danced about it. '**Shinra Tensei**...?' The fourth path was free.

Naruto clenched his hand, a frown took ahold of his usually cheery and calm expression. "I will stop them, Mizukage-sama. But unfortunately, your village will not survive."

"Eh? What do you mean?" The woman asked, panic clear in her eyes. She stared into his Rinnegan eyes and a shudder filled her being. There was nothing but _power_, unsealed and untamed power inside those eyes.

"I won't be able to stop that many shinobi by myself. But, nonetheless, I will find a way. Then I will make a new country in which peace will truly exist. A world fond of love and compassion, a world that's been waiting to be created on this war torn planet for many centuries. And I want you, to be its Daimyo." Mei stared into the blonds eyes, seeing nothing but certainty that what he offers is nothing but that, peace. For a moment, she remembered an old legend that was told to her as a child, a legend involving an all powerful Sage with the exact same eyes, a Sage that brought peace to a world cursed by war. Her mind clicked, and both Naruto and that legend became one. She smiled, and the blond grinned.

* * *

**A/N: I was planning on having the time skip next chapter, but I'm not sure, review, follow and tell me what _you_ think! By the way, I've been getting people with the impression that I will not finish this story... rest assured, I am an author that finishes what he starts, my last story is proof of that. So no worries and enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3: Times of war

Sasuke was currently on his way back to Konoha from his walk of the surrounding forests, wearing the standard ANBU attire, but with no mask, Kusanagi strapped to his back. Walking down the forests when the moon was full and the temperature was just right made for an enjoyable crossing, so he made a habit of it, at least when he was in the Leaf Village. "Shit..." he had alot on his mind these days. Mostly about the Fourth Shinobi World War that had been raging the Elemental Lands for over six years. It was also about the same time that he became the Leafs greatest protector. And protect it he has, various times in fact.

Throughout the six years, Sasuke, Killer Bee, the Shinobi Alliance, and the four Kages fought as best they could against the forces of the now living Uchiha Madara, as well as Uchiha Obito. Because of the war much more was lost then won, Kumogakure and Iwagakure for example, both villages were taken by force while most of their shinobi were out, and slowly both villages came down under their control. Be via Sharingan or willingly, the remainder of the Shinobi Alliance did not know for certain. However, it didn't matter anymore, the shinobi from those villages now wore the Hitaites of each of their nations and attacked the Shinobi Alliance without mercy.

Sasuke sighed and stopped to stare at a tree that seemed oddly familiar. He squinted his eyes and tried to remember, but no matter how hard he tried to recall, it just kept slipping his mind. He raised his regularly active Sharingan eyes to investigate further, a custom he grew into. Maybe it was the times of war, or he just felt safer with them active at all times. Finally, after a few seconds it became obvious, this is the area where Team Seven fought Gaara.

"Dobe..." Sasuke sighed and leaned on the tree, he let his knees loose and slid down the hard wood slowly. One that was constantly in his thoughts was Naruto, the one who was willing to give his life to bring him out of the darkness that he had shrouded himself into, and for nothing in return. When he was told Danzo was the perpetrator, hell seemed kind and heartwarming compared to the rage and killer intent he released upon the village. If it weren't for his decision of becoming Hokage and protecting the Leaf, he'd of sliced the bastards neck with a rusty kunai instantly, even if he had to kill half of Konohas forces in the process.

He had already attempted to kill him in the first place, back when the Kage Summit took place, and when the dark fool was elected commander of the Shinobi Alliance. Unfortunately, that's why he failed in killing him, for the other Kages got in his way by protecting their newly elected commander. Sasuke was able to get out alive thanks to Uchiha Obito, who was at first thought to be dead, but was negated by the fact that the real Uchiha Madara was revived.

When the war began, he was still recuperating after having Itachi's eyes implanted into him. After healing, he received an opportunity that he thought would never come to be. He met him again through the Edo Tensei. Unfortunately, it wasn't the peaceful talk he hoped for, since his brother was under Kabuto's control at the time. Nonetheless, he had his _supposedly_ flawless eyes opened by his brother. The elder Uchiha confessed to killing the clan with Obito's help, and hoped for him to redeem himself as _he_ never could or had the opportunity. This resulted in Sasuke's confusion towards the path that he was heading to, even to the point of doubting the Curse of Hatred that all his clansmen died from. So now, here he was, alive, because unlike them, _he_ surpassed such a curse.

The Shinobi Alliance didn't press charges when he decided to join the Leaf for obvious reasons; they needed all the help they could get. But even then, the Shinobi Alliance was facing defeat in this war, and Sasuke would be honest and say that it's only a matter of time until they fall. The ones responsible of keeping the Shinobi Alliance going in the first place was Sasuke himself, Killer Bee and the Four Kages. Strangely, one of the Kage's was missing; the Mizukage. Many messenger hawks were sent to ask for her aid, but they never got a response from her. Nor the hawks. After which they sent shinobi to escort the message, and again they got no response. Nor the _shinobi_. He would of gone himself, but he was needed in the front lines, and so the matter was dropped.

She didn't even come to the Kage Summit, which was even more surprising. But Sasuke didn't think much of it, he doubted anything would of changed had she gone anyways...

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke didn't bother to turn his head up towards the direction his name was called from. He already knew who the owner of that voice was anyways. "Sakura huh?" Sasuke responded, his voice emotionless and subtle. He and Sakura had been growing oddly closer these days, which he was sure the reason for that was Narutos untimely death. He still found her a bit annoying though, she always found him when he wanted to be alone, it was really disconcerting. "What is it?"

Sakura fell in front of him wearing her normal Kunoichi attire, her hair still as short as he remembered and as pink as the sakura petals her name represented. The 21 year old crossed her arms under her developed chest and sighed at Sasuke's actions. She knew he wanted to be alone, that's why he was in the forests this late at night, but there were things in the village that required the attention of the Uchiha clan head. "Why are you out here so late, Sasuke-kun?"

"It was a beautiful night." Sasuke stated pursing his lips and crossing his arms behind his head, just to get more comfortable on the hard bark of the tree.

"You're miles away from the village, what if some assassin attacked you?" Sakura asked, her patience thinning by the normal attitude of the Uchiha; stuck up.

"Then I'll kill him and get back to the village in time for dinner." Simply as that, Sasuke turned back to the beautiful blinking star's, considering to make it some sort of hobby. Just like Shikamaru watched clouds, he would watch stars. Sasuke side glanced at Sakura and grunted, the frown on her face made her usually cute expression into something he didn- woah...! Cute face? What the hell...?! Sasuke shook his head and Sakura looked at him oddly. The war must _really_ be getting to him if Sakura's face was starting to look attractive to him.

Sakura deadpanned and sighed, she could never tell when Sasuke was serious, or if he was trying to avoid a conversation with her by brushing away the subject. "You do know they need you in the village right?"

"What _for_ you liar?"

"What do you _think_?!"

"Aside from breeding?"

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke remained quiet, both to try and remember what he had to do today, and just to annoy Sakura by not responding. The girl in front of him grinded her teeth and Sasuke remained oblivious, although he was secretly amused by her irritated face. "Oh." A thought crossed his mind and the answer came with. "Something about a meeting right? They were going to discuss something about a myth... and asking for its help... him or her... I don't know. I don't care either. That might be the reason I'm here. It all just sounds like speculation to me in the first place."

"Speculation or not, Sasuke-kun. You have a duty that you need to withheld as the head of the Uchiha clan." Sakura said uncrossing her arms, a scolding tone to her voice. "Besides, Danzo said he needed all the Rookies after the meeting. We're all getting deployed to the front lines in Suna in a few days after all." Sakura muttered dejected. She was sick and traumatized of all this fighting. Sick because it was a neverending river of blood, and traumatized because Shino was killed by a **Bijuu Bomb** after distracting one of Madaras Edo Tensei Jinchuuriki's, so she, Hinata, Tenten and various company's of shinobi could get away.

Sasuke knew why she sounded so dismal over going to the front lines. Shino was killed when Sasuke failed to hold back all seven of Madara's Jinchuuriki's after being ambushed in one of Kumo's last fronts. Even with his **Complete Susanoo Stabilized**, they were just too much for him to handle alone. Shino made the noble sacrifice with an entire platoon of shinobi and took the attention from the six tails, who was aiming to annihilate the retreating companies from the hills. This however, ended with his death.

He sighed and unhurriedly stood back up, a bit lazy even. He turned and started making his way towards the village, shoving his hands in his pockets to shield them from the slight coldness in the atmosphere. He stopped and noticed Sakura wasn't following him, he turned his head but his body remained rooted. "Sakura." Sakura was shooken out of her depressed thoughts by Sasukes oddly kind and caring voice, something alien and unknown to his usually cold self. "I _swear_ I won't let anything happen to you while you're with me. Even if it kills me, I'll keep you safe no matter what."

Sakura felt her cheeks warm up and her stomach teased by the familiar sensation of the love she felt for Sasuke. Her heart started beating erratically in her chest and she clutched it in repercussion, a futile attempt to try and slow down the emotions that were threatening to try and take her consciousness. "T-thank you." She stuttered but she didn't care, the words that left Sasuke's lips were still engraved in her mind, and they just kept replaying again and again.

Sasuke smirked his usual way, the pink in her cheeks were seen and stored thanks to his Sharingan for later evaluation. "Come on, let's get this over with. We're all leaving in a few days and I need to be rested to make sure we all come back alive."

Sakura blinked twice in a dazed confusion until Sasuke's words finally registered in her mind. "A-ah, hai!" Hurriedly, she matched Sasuke's pace, and glanced at his stony expression every few minutes as they made their way back to the Village Hidden in the Leaf.

* * *

**+COUNCIL ROOM+**

"Preposterous!" The civilian side of the Leaf council shouted, a complete atrocity was what Tsunade, the head of the Senju clan proposed.

Sasuke seemed bored as the heated discussion went by, but even he was surprised to learn that the supposed legend, the 'Rikudou Sennin' actually existed. Which meant that the 'floating planet' created by the same person existed as well. However, every time he heard of such crap it was either rumors or civilians talking just to have something to speak about. But Sasuke was no fool, not when his intellect was second to none but the Nara clan or Sakura herself.

There were facts behind such a legend, such as the disappearance of Water Country and the shinobi who were sent towards them to deliver a message who never returned. Everything pointed to one conclusion; shit was being hidden from his Sharingan eyes. He didn't like it when shit was hidden from his Sharingan eyes. "How annoying." Sasuke said, his crimson eyes boring into the civilian side of the table they all sat around.

The meeting room fell silent and all eyes went for the head of the Uchiha clan, expectant of whatever he had to say. "Don't be foolish to dismiss rumors so easily. They all have to source from somewhere, and Just like legends, they're all based on real occurrences. If Senju-san says that Koyuki-sama knows of this 'Rikudou Sennin', then there must be some truth to such a claim. Do not dismiss the word of not only a Daimyo, but one of our previous Hokage's."

"I agree with Uchiha-san." Danzo stated, the Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha. "But what of it? If I may ask, Senju-san." The man had a suspicion of what the woman would suggest, but he was waiting for conformation. While at the same time calculating what such an occurrence would bring to the future of this losing war.

Tsunade nodded towards Sasuke, thanking him for his support. She grasped her fingers and placed her elbows on the table to address the council. "According to Koyuki-sama, her and _his_ country are both well endowed in a trade system that they currently have with each other. They keep in contact constantly and seem to be good friends, to the point of helping her by defending Spring Country from any harm that this war may produce. According to her, the man sent a single platoon of 60 shinobi capable of manipulating leafs. She said they can use hundreds at a time and that they damage similar to hundreds of small blades. They successfully fended off an entire company of Iwa shinobi and came out victorious. Without a _single_ casualty in their part-"

"A single platoon defeated an entire company without any losses?!" The civilian council gasped in denial and broke into shouts, while the clan heads talked amongst themselves in complete astonishment, Danzo's eyes widened and Sasuke had his mouth slightly agape for such a feat. For a platoon of 60 shinobi to fight off an entire company of _250_ experienced Iwa nin, it was beyond comprehensible how they could pull it off. The only logical reason was that they had a strategical genius in the defender's side, and even then it barely made sense.

"We must seek their aid!"

"But how would we contact them?!"

"But what if they ask for retribution?!"

"It matters not! With them we could win!"

"Don't be foolish! We must first see what could be lost!"

"Enough!" Danzo interrupted the ranting of the civilian council, quite irritated by their rambling. "Shikaku, what are the chances of success for the Shinobi Alliance if we continue alone?"

Shikaku went over all data available in his genius mind, taking everything into account, from the Kages that are in Suna in the front lines to the shinobi outside guarding the Hokage's building. "None. Even if by some miracle Uchiha-san and Bee-sama managed to kill Madara and Obito, we would still have Kabuto and his **Edo Tensei Jutsu**. Meaning we'd still have to fight against various Kage level shinobi, whiles at the same time countering the attacks of the combined armies of Kumo and Iwa which outnumber us six to one. And that's not counting the Bijuu's he has in his possession. There is no victory alone."

"But what of the other Kages in Suna?!"

"Surely Uchiha-sama can defeat the Bijuu?!"

"Silence." Danzo sighed and rubbed his temples with his available hand, did they think the Uchiha was invincible? "What if he we had the assistance of this, 'Rikudou Sennin', what would be the outcome then?"

Shikaku sighed and scratched the back of his head, all this thinking was starting to annoy him. "How troublesome. I simply don't know, not when the capabilities of this man and his country are unknown. But I will tell you this, just a shred of help from anyone could increment our chances tremendously."

Aburame Shibi looked at the options from all logical standpoints and agreed with the head of the Nara clan. Like mostly everyone, he had a great hatred for the enemy, but his _blazed_ with the essence of an entire star after they killed his son, such an action could _not_ be forgiven. "If we do not gain their assistance, then we will fall. Logically, losing Suna would be our last draw, for we would be surrounded. Strategically speaking."

"Then it is obvious." The Hyuuga clan head, Hyuuga Hiashi proclaimed. "Receiving their aid would certainly help us in this long and tiring war. Sooner or later they will have to get involved. Even if they are hidden, nothing remains hidden for long, especially not an entire nation."

All the clan heads nodded their heads in agreement, all in accordance that it was the most logical option of all. "Then," Tsunade spoke, all curious eyes turning to her. "Should I ask Koyuki-sama for a favor?"

All eyes now turned to Danzo, the commander of the Shinobi Alliance for conformation. The man stared back indifferent, but deep inside he knew there was no other option. He was not a man to admit a weakness, but even he knew it was only a matter of time for them to fall. The man locked his one eye with Tsunade's, his choice made. "We will ask for this mans aid, there is no other option."

* * *

**+HYUUGA COMPOUND+**

Hyuuga Hiashi walked through the maze that was his home, the white walls, the luxurious furniture and the artistic paintings spoke of nobility, which was what the Hyuuga clan represented. To any other it certainly would be a maze, but to those that knew the ups and downs of the estate; it was as simple as recollecting recent memories. Finally, he arrived where he desired and cleared his throat softly. "Daughter," he spoke lowly, but high enough to make his presence known. "I am entering."

The man slid the door open and was met with the sight of his daughter wearing her slightly damaged ANBU equipment, standing in the middle of her room staring at that picture, again. Hiashi sighed and took a step in to slid the door behind him. "Hinata, again you are staring at that picture I see."

The fully matured and beautiful indigo haired woman which attracted the opposite sex like the earth attracted the moon did not acknowledge her father's words. Instead, she kept staring at the worn picture of a scowling Naruto with Team Seven, a picture Sakura gave her as an 18th birthday present. After a full minute, she slid the picture into her back pocket and turned towards her father. No day has passed without the blond crossing her mind, no day has passed without having thoughts of killing Danzo, and no day has passed without remembering how much she still loves him.

"Tou-sama," Hinata bowed and stood straight once more, the respectful tone in her voice being far more balanced then when she was younger. "What did you wish to speak of?" The woman asked.

Hiashi sighed and lamented every action he had done towards his daughter. Ever since the blond Jinchuuriki was killed, -a decision he disagreed with Danzo- his daughter had become cold and unreachable to him. She was exactly what he wanted from a daughter, skilled, powerful, a genius, and a mastermind of deception. Yet, he felt saddened that she became so. When he was around her, she never smiled, laughed, or did anything that a normal woman her age would do. The only time he saw any emotion in her eyes was when he came into her room to catch her staring at that picture.

Maybe she secretly resented him, and she thought he no longer deserved to have her blinding smile. Or maybe it was his disapproval of the relation she had with the Jinchuuriki before he became the hero who saved the Leaf, and now she felt like releasing her hate on him. But like any father, if that would help her deal with what happened, he would gladly take the roll of the sponge that would absorb her unending sorrow.

"The meeting is over. It was decided to ask for the help of this man with the title of Rikudou Sennin." Hiashi informed, examining the blood on her hands and the damaged nails that adorned her fingers. "I see you have been training; a wise decision. But are you not here to rest for the time being? When will you be deployed back to Suna?"

"Hai, but it is beneficial to not let my skills waver." Hinata excused. "We will be returning to the front in a few days, I must be ready. It is late, Tou-sama. Will you please allow me to rest?" Hinata requested.

Hiashi nodded and made way to the door, but stopped once more and turned his head towards the woman now considered the second genius of the Hyuuga clan. "I am proud of you daughter." With that said, the man left the chambers and went for his own.

Hinata watched her father leave and gave a tiresome sigh. Why did he always walk in when she was staring at Naruto's picture? She took it out once more and felt her eyes sting with the familiar agony of sadness, followed by the pain of tears once more being shed by her lavender eyes. The tears met the picture and found their way down the image and onto the wooden floor below, the sound rebounded in her hollow room, just like her heart... what she would give to have the blond back in her arms. "Naruto..."

* * *

**+ON TOP OF THE RAIKAGE'S BUILDING+**

Obito stared back at Madara a bit surprised, the look of malevolence the man possessed made him feel oddly entertained. "You wish to send five companies of Kumo shinobi and five Jinchuuriki's to Suna?" Obito asked, wearing his war time outfit, which has been used constantly these days. But unlike years ago, he no longer held the need of using the mask that he wore in his Akatsuki days. "It's not like you to rush things to such an extent."

The revived Uchiha Madara nodded. He was wearing a high collared black shirt with the Uchiha clan's crest on the back, which he tended to leave slightly open, and blue pants with bandages around his shins. Around his waist, he had a sash that held a sack, presumably containing his shinobi equipment. "That's true, however I feel that this meaningless war has gone long enough. We will take Suna and then Konoha to get ahold of the Hachibi. Then we will have to find some way to get the Kyuubi's chakra since the Jinchuuriki containing it has been killed along with the beast... the Hokage made a wise move with that I must say."

"Indeed he did." Both men turned back to see a fairly tall man wearing full white clothing, (arrancar clothing) a former Legendary Swordsmen of the Mist, a man who betrayed his country and comrades by killing the first Mizukage, after which he and six others went their own path. Sōsuke Aizen, the previous First of Seven Swordsmen. "Why don't you let Ulqiorra lead them. It is about time we showed the world what we are _truly_ capable of, is it not?" The man asked running a hand through his stylishly brown hair, stepping up to the edge of the roof that gave a fine view of Kumo.

"I agree." Madara announced, turning back to examine one of his villages. The Uchiha was the one responsible for reviving the legend known as Sōsuke Aizen, as well as his six subordinates. Aizen was a shinobi to which even _he_ doubted would come out unscathed without resorting to the Bijuu's. He could feel the mans power radiating like a volcano about to burst. But thanks to that sword on his hip however, his power was sealed until he decided it was needed to Release. "Ulqiorra has been a bit antsy about doing nothing for our cause. This should get him back in a good mood." The man chuckled and his Sharingan eyes glowered in a show of immense power. "I'll send him a message to head for Suna in a few days."

Madara unfolded his arms and turned on his heel to start making his way back to where he was needed. "For now, I'll try and summon the Gedō Mazō once more. It's been years since I've been able to call for it. I do not comprehend why we can no longer do it, there must be something interfering with the summoning process." Madara was both intrigued _and_ annoyed, the Gedō Mazō became inaccessible for both he and Obito. However, the Bijuu's chakra remained locked inside the Jinchuuriki who were revived by the **Edo Tensei** at the time, at least that was good news. "But still... to separate me and Obito from summoning the Gedō Mazō... it would take someone with immense power to seal it from us when the Sage of the Six Paths couldn't..."

* * *

**A/N: Remember my dear followers and reviewers, the more reviews I get, the faster the story will progress. So keep that in mind when you finish reading! Btw, I've been asked a few times to get a beta, but I literally have _nooo_ idea how that works... plus, I've heard from other authors that having one _may_ constantly complicate things, so I'm not sure.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Seven Swordsmen

"6 years since my 'death' huh...?" Namikaze Naruto currently sat at the head of the meeting rooms expertly crafted, long dark brown and polished table. He raised his gaze towards the far off ceiling, his matured and overpowering Rinnegan eyes adjusted themselves as the crystal ceiling let morning rays pass right through them in order to illuminate the large room. He spinned on his chair and watched in amusement as the world spinned and spinned. 21 years old and the spinning chair invented by Urahara still entertained him to no end.

He sighed and stopped spinning in order to stand. Naruto wore a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat (or shihakushō) with red lining, it was closed at his chest and left to flare out into ragged ends, on his forehead lay a Hitaite with the Kanji words 'Rikudou' engraved into them. (Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu Version 3 clothes.) Strapped to his left side was a black sheath with a gold tip, inside it contained a daitõ with a black blade, it had a cross guard with four prongs bent out to form the shape of the manji. The blades name was Tensa Zangetsu. A gift, an invaluable gift.

Naruto walked up the marble steps that lead to a window that covered an entire wall. He stopped in front of it with his arms crossed, a look of happiness and pride crossed his face. He stared out into the village that was his. Someone who wasn't from his planet would stare at its size in awe, and Naruto wasn't trying to be cocky or anything, but he considered it to be three times the size of any other Hidden Village. Its tall towers and magnificent gardens varied from home to home. Nonetheless, he considered it all beautiful; it was his creation after all. His Rinnegan eyes softened and a small smile decorated his features, reminiscing about the old days, and everything he had to do to get where he was.

Rikudou No Kuni (The Land of the Six Paths) as he named it, a planet the size of Water country with a few surrounding islands, all compressed into a single ball of earth. A magnificent spectre of a planet filled with forests as green as it gets in nature, lakes the size of cities bluer then the deepest oceans, snow filled mountains higher then the luscious hills of Snow Country, and plains that stretch out farther then the eye can reach; a becoming sight for farmers who want a peaceful yet nature filled life. It was everything the blond, a cast away, a innocent, a Rinnegan wielder, and the Sage considered to be the reincarnation of the Sage of The Six Paths wanted for his people. _How_ life flourished so perfectly in this planet however, was a secret that only his top ranked officers knew...

To his people he was no god, no holy man and no living being with absolute power. No, he was sure to remind them all that he was just a man, a man who created the planet they lived on, but a man nonetheless. He just wanted to be seen as their leader and their protector, nothing more. "Rikudou Sennin..." his given title since he first came into battle in the war against the rebels of the now desolated Kirigakure. The entire island of Water Country and various other smaller surrounding islands became what his people stand on now, all of it was taken and carved into his image with **Chibaku Tensei**. Needless to say, he couldn't get out of bed for the next week from the stress it brought to his body.

After the foundation was created he took all citizens of what used to be Water Country and established them into the new planet that would become a world superpower. Both economically, and technologically. The economy was created by three civilian cities, all of them responsible for the economic infrastructure of the Rikudou No Kuni (Land of the Six Paths). The cities of Osaka, Niigata, and Hyogo maintained the populace fed and happy thanks to the various plantations and mines surrounding them. Since Water Country was an island made by large volcanoes, it was known that the depths of this planet was rich in precious minerals.

Under the planet lied the grandest harbor in the middle of the ocean, it was named Namikaze Harbor, in honor of his father. Only loyal citizens knew of this harbour, not even the countries they traded with knew that the harbour existed, for who would expect a harbour the size of half a village to be sitting in the middle of the ocean? Just thinking about it was considered preposterous by the world they shared the sun with. The countries they traded with frankly did not care either way, all they knew was that a tag-less boat came to shore every two weeks, filled to the brim with gold and precious items, ready to buy whatever goods the other countries had to offer.

Technologically speaking, there existed no other country even _close_ to his own, at least after his deal with the Land of Spring's Daimyo, Koyuki. Usually, he would never meet another country leader in person because he did not want to risk having the Leaf knowing he was alive. But with Koyuki, he knew there was no risk, so he met with her in person for the Trade Treaty between both countries... but he would admit that he did more then just sign documents with the Daimyo... specifically in her quarters... his face felt flushed just remembering.

The trade was simple, the Land of the Six Paths would give the Land of Spring two metric tons of gold, in exchange for the secret of combustion they so dearly kept. Thanks to this, his two personal geniuses were able to get to work into something that would make his planet accessible, and in retrospect, tradeable to his people. Their first creation was a machine capable of flight that would make it possible to leave the gravitational field of the Land of the Six Paths and into the ocean below them. This creation was named the 'helicopter'. However, Naruto _still_ thought his name was better: 'the Spinny mobile'.

Their second and third invention was also important, but was more military induced then the helicopter. 'Battleships' and 'submarines'. Again, Naruto thought his names were better: 'big tin can' and 'small tin can that can dive'. Thankfully, the creators literally smacked him behind the head and told him to forget it. The battleship was a mobile marine fortress that carried various types of cannons capable of blowing a hole through Konoha's walls with a single shot. The submarine was a watercraft capable of independent operation under water, technology that he considered fairly useless. Of course, he would never say so out loud for obvious reasons.

The blond turned on his heel and went to sit back on his 'throne' as his shinobi called it. "Heh..." Naruto grinned, his eyes closing in the process. The best move he made in forming his country however, was not an object, but living beings. Using the **Rinne Tensei** he gave life to various powerful shinobi that were considered legends that dwarfed even those of the three legendary Sannin. The original 7 Swordsmen of the Mist and their families. The men and woman who were responsible for founding Kirigakure, the ones thought to give the duo of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama a run for their money had they fought on equal grounds.

"Yo." Naruto made the grin disappear and took an expression of honest surprise seeing _him_ this early. The giant gold lined doors opened further and in stepped his strongest shinobi. Kurosaki Ichigo, the First of Seven Swordsmen. The man said to be able to fight shinobi as powerful as Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama by himself. He stepped in with a loud yawn, wearing the standard uniform for all members of the 7 Swordsmen, a black Shihakushõ, with a white haori exclusively for the 7 Swordsmen themselves. On his, the Kanji words 'DEMOLITION' were imprinted on the back, his 'Rikudou' Hitaite was tied to his left arm, like all other Seven Swordsman. (Captains attire from Bleach.)

The 'DEMOLITION' Division was the best of the best, they were the unit that would be dispatched strictly under orders from the Kage (Shadow). The shinobi inside of this Division were mostly branch members of the Kurosaki clan for their pros in swordsmanship. But others were allowed if they could meet the requirements: perfect chakra control, a master swordsmen that can at least be on par with the Second Divisions own, chakra sensing abilities, and the last and probably most important requirement, was an IQ of at least 175. This was necessary to even _consider_ joining the First Division, for only tactical geniuses were allowed. Unfortunately, because of these requirements, there was only so many team's in the first Division.

The slim man that easily reached six feet tall stepped in, his eyes lazy and his orange hair a bit messy from sleep, his swords that identify him as one of the 7 Swordsmen in place. One had the shape of a khyber knife, the blade extended roughly as long as Ichigo himself. It had a thin, hollowed-out portion running along the back edge of the blade from the base to the middle of the blade, the sword was wrapped in clothing and strapped to his back. The second blade was relatively small, about the size of Ichigo's arm, and was similar to the first blade, but resembled a trench knife more than a sword. But unlike its counterpart, this one had an enclosed handle with a portion acting like a hand guard. This one was strapped to his right thigh, both were called Zangetsu. (Ichigo's real Shikai) "Sorry I'm early... Rukia woke me up..." The man sighed and sat to Naruto's left, taking a moment to yawn once more.

Ah... so that was the reason. Rukia, Ichigo's wife was the one responsible for this miracle. "So that's why... I was really surprised, you arriving before Toshiro is a hell of a shock."

"Kurosaki... you dare arrive earlier then I?" Both men diverted their gaze towards the door to see who Naruto was speaking of, wearing the same attire as Ichigo, the only difference being that on the back of his haori it said 'FREEZE'. His name was Hitsugaya Toshiro, the Third of Seven Swordsmen. The younger male pushed the giant door with a single hand and it clashed with the wall sustaining it, causing a rumble that made the room shake, a foreshadowing of the 'boy's' raw strength. "How very intriguing, but inappropriate." The pure white haired boy said, his equally white eyebrows scrunched into a frown, his own sword, Hyōrinmaru strapped to his back.

The 'FREEZE' Division was filled with mostly pilots and captains of submarines, helicopters, and battleships, all of them systematically tested and experienced to take on the most thoroughly dangerous and drastic of situations. However, there were also fighters capable of incapacitating the enemy by stopping them in their tracks, either by head on collision, counterintelligence, or distraction if needed, all thanks to the Ice Release Bloodline users that make up the division. Most of them were clan members that used to be from the Yuki clan, who were in hiding until Toshiro, the first Ice Release user called them out and asked them to join his clan as branch members.

The boy stepped in and frowned further seeing Ichigo chuckling in his direction. His expression turned indifferent however as he turned to look at Naruto. "Kage-sama, good morning." The head of the Hitsugaya clan took his seat two down from Ichigo's, his expression now expectant of what would be their topic of discussion today. The young swordsmen knew he was the punctual one of the 7 Swordsmen, and the respectful one as well. That's because he knew he was the youngest of the 7 Swordsmen, and unlike them, he valued the honor of being in such a prestigious group at such a young age. It was a testament to his skill.

Naruto sighed and used his knuckles to support his head, an amused but annoyed expression on his face. "I've told you Toshiro, you don't need to be calling me 'Kage-sama' when were not in public. Just call me Naruto, you don't need to be so serious all the time."

"I full heartedly agree with that one." The Second of Seven Swordsmen made his presence known, Kyoraku Shunsui. The man stepped in wearing the same attire as the other two, but instead of having it showcased like the others, he wore a straw hat and a pink flowered kimono over the white haori that should have the Kanji word's 'STRIKE' imprinted on the back. The man stepped in and lazily glanced at the cracked wall behind the giant door, he chuckled and shook his head bemused, looks like Ichigo was early today. "Yare yare, looks like Ichigo-kun beat Toshiro-kun at arriving first huh?"

The 'STRIKE' Division contained shinobi trained to fight alongside the 'DEMOLITION' Division as an aspect of their skill. All of them required to be the best of all Seven Divisions, below only the First Division which contained the top of the crop. They were the second most powerful Swordsmen Division that made up the forces of Wakuseigakure No Sato, (the Village Hidden in the Planet) all of them with exceptional swordsmanship, excellent chakra control, and an IQ sufficient enough to analyze and calculate enemy movement in the middle of battle.

"Kyoraku-san," Toshiro spoke, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. "Please refrain from calling me by my first name in such a child like manner."

"Mah mah... no need to get upset, Toshiro-kun. It was orders of our dear Naruto-kun after all. He said that when not in public we could act normally and call you and our fellow Swordsmen by their first name, were all good friends after all." The man smiled kindly, his straw hat leaning to one side to show only his left eye. Toshiro scoffed and the man chuckled cheerfully. He sat right next to Ichigo who was smirking, while Toshiro was grumbling about Division captains not respecting their own status'. "This is rare though, Ichigo I mean... you being first to arrive, does that mean the planet is in danger of collapsing or something?"

"Rukia." Naruto said simply, his eyes giving a mischievous glimpse of amusement.

"Ah... Rukia-chan huh? Well, now all makes perfect sense. I feel little relieved too..." Shunsui faked a sigh that showed nothing but utter relief and happiness, Ichigo glared at him and Naruto laughed at the Swordsmens antics.

"Ohh... look Mayuri, seems very lively today neeh...?" All heads once more turned towards the entrance to see both the Sixth of Seven Swordsmen, Urahara Kisuke, and his assistant and lieutenant, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Kisuke stepped in wearing the normal captains attire, his Zanpakuto strapped on his left side, his haori imprinted with the Kanji words 'RDI' (Research and Development Institute) on the back. Mayuri was wearing a black Shihakushõ but without the white haori that would dignify him as a member of the Seven Swordsmen, his own Zanpakuto also strapped to his left side.

The Research and Development Institute were the ones responsible for the advantage Wakuseigakure No Sato (the Village Hidden in the Planet) had against all other villages, for thanks to the 'Lord Kage' as they called him, they had a funding that literally had no limit. The creation of the helicopter, the battleship, and the submarine was lead by both the genius minds of Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who were inspired by the doors that were opened with the Land of Springs technology. Based on that, they opened whole _worlds_ of technological advances, that in their words would bring; 'a new era for humans and shinobi alike' as they so passionately put it.

"Ara, Kurosaki-kun, you're early this morning. Might I guess that the reason perhaps is Rukia?"

"Definitely Rukia." Naruto stated, a grin spreading across his lips immediately after Ichigo started glaring at him, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance.

Mayuri scoffed at the usual antics of his comrades; they never changed no matter how many years they spent with each other. "Hmph! Lord Kage, please do not involve yourself with actions as low as Urahara-Taicho's, it is beneath a man as exuberant as yourself."

Shunsui hummed in bewilderment. "Really? How odd. Well, since you respect Naruto-kun so much, why aren't you respecting the orders that he gave us all, Kurotsuchi-Fukutaicho?" Shunsui asked in a singsong voice.

The man gave his superior a small glare, but aside from that he said nothing. He wouldn't fall so low as to respond to an obvious trap like that, but it got harder to keep a retort when the man snickered in his direction. "Calm down guys, sit down. We still have to wait for the others." Naruto said sternly, although the smile on his face betrayed his true emotions. Both men nodded and Urahara sat next to Toshiro, while Kurotsuchi took a seat in front of his captain.

"Kage-sama." Naruto turned towards the door once more. The emotionless voice sourced from another great shinobi. Kuchiki Byakuya, the Fourth of Seven Swordsmen. The man stepped in wearing the normal attire for all Division Captains, but unlike the others he wore a white scarf said to be worth 10 mansions in Wakuseigakure No Sato's (The Village Hidden in the Planet's) richest district, with his white haori having the Kanji words 'SHIELD' imprinted on the back. The man walked towards his seat, which was on the opposite side of Naruto, his steps gentle, his walking filled with the impression of a true nobleman. "Forgive my tardiness, my lord. My wife, Hisana, felt a bit lightheaded this morning."

"Don't worry about it Byakuya. You're usually the second to get here which is why I was a little surprised, but I see why. Did you take Hisana-chan to Hospital Rikudou?" Naruto asked, concern for the wife of one of his Swordsmens apparent in his Rinnegan eyes.

"Do not worry yourself, sire. I have indeed taken her to be examined by Unohana-san immediately." Byakuya assured, his voice low yet noticeable. The Kuchiki clan head sat on his seat, his back firm, his expression lacking any sort of emotion, and both of his hands resting on his lap expectantly. Although his expression was emotionless, most of the Swordsmen knew he was troubled, for they've known him for quite some time now. And worried he was, for he had lost Hisana once before at a too young age, and he would move heaven and earth to stop it from happening again, for thanks to his lord, she returned to him even after death.

However his thoughts also included his SHIELD Division, for he had left his assistant and lieutenant, Abarai Renji in charge after taking his wife to the hospital, and Byakuya was never a man that would let others take care of his own business.

The SHIELD division were in charge of the protection of Wakuseigakure No Sato (The Village Hidden in the Planet), as well as defender's of the Rikudou No Kuni (Country of The Six Paths) in general. Like most of the Seven Swordsmen, his Division was made up of branch members from his clan, which were gifted with exceptional skill in Air Release, enough to be able to cover thousands of leafs, (depending on their skill) preferably sakura petals with concentrated air and make them as sharp as small blades. Nobody on their planet could match the Kuchiki clans skill in Air Release but the Kage himself, that is why they were in charge of his and the planets safety.

Naruto nodded and sat back in his seat, glad that there was no longer any need for worry, since he knew that Unohana was by far, the best doctor on his planet. The woman was in charge of Hospital Rikudou, named after him of course, it was Unohana's decision however, not his own. 'Now there's just one left... scratching the ones hiding in the ceiling I mean...' Naruto thought, crossing his arms behind his head to act as a pillow. "Come out, Soi Fon, Yoruichi. I know you've been on the roof almost since Toshiro entered the room."

As if on cue, two shadows blinked into existence and the Seventh of Seven Swordsmen, Shihõin Yoruichi appeared sitting to Narutos right, her assistant and lieutenant Soi Fon right next to her. Yoruichi, like her comrades, wore the Division Captains attire, while Soi Fon was the same but without the white haori that Yoruichi had, which read 'STEALTH' in Kanji on the back. Yoruichi scoffed in indifference while she pouted at Naruto. "Not bad Naruto. I see the years of peace have yet to rust your chakra sensing abilities."

The 'STEALTH' Division was in charge of espionage and creating shinobi who were obsessed with pleasing their leader. They were cold blooded shinobi who did whatever mission they were given without question. Whether it be rescuing a child or killing it, they did it, without asking a single question, they just did it. They were the unequivocal, true, heartless, and perfect shinobi. They were the shinobi who tortured to get both pleasure and information out of their enemies, only their leaders were capable of controlling their own bloodlust.

Soi Fon blushed a soft magenta as she tried to avoid Narutos literally overpowering gaze at all cost, he and her had done something... inappropriate, on this very table a few days ago, and the flashbacks of the positions he had her in were causing her to feel _extremely_ lightheaded. 'Calm yourself, Soi Fon. It wouldn't be the first time we've done something like that anyways.' The beautiful women thought to herself, a little annoyed that Naruto kept grinning in her direction in a sort of wavering tease that he did on purpose, which only helped increase her embarrassment. Finally, she rounded her resolve and locked eyes with her leader, and occasionally lover, a crimson coloring her cheeks. "Good morning, Kage-sama."

'Yesh!' She didn't stutter!

Naruto blinked when she simply greeted him back normally, she ruined his fun on purpose. Fine then, there'll be time for that later. He sighed melancholically and pouted at her with a face of dejection. "Good morning, Soi Fon..." During his time of growth in legend and power, Naruto had his share of beautiful woman, although he restrained himself from having as many as he wanted.

That was normal of course, he was a teenager in growth, but he was a kindhearted man as well. His hormones were going crazy and he was surrounded by hundreds of beautiful women, while he himself was a hell of a looker, not to mention he was the leader of his own planet. Hell, anyone would expect him to have slept with as many woman as he wanted. If not, then his subordinates would of certainly thought him to be pitching for the other team. Especially since he himself had a little perverted side to him when he was younger. But he didn't love any of them, and he was sure to remind any girl before he made her his. He cared for them yes, but he just couldn't have them thinking he loved them, it just wasn't his nature to be like that. He had lost hope in love years ago, when the girl he ever truly loved became lost to his reach. Because of this, his heart froze and shattered into hundreds of pieces, so much so that he doubted that even his **Rinne Tensei** would be able to put them back together...

Soi Fon smiled back, he was adorable when he was frustrated. Unlike Naruto, she really loved him, but unfortunately, the blond did not. She hoped that in time he would learn to love her, but the blond made it clear that he would no longer love another woman, and even if she wanted, she could never deny any opportunity to become close to him, whether it'd be emotionally or physically, it did not matter to her. Naruto accommodated himself back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. 'Now there's only one left.' Unfortunately, the one that was left had a worse sense direction then a stray dog trying to follow a scent after a typhoon.

Shunsui sighed and sat back in his chair as well, trying to get comfortable. "Well, if we're going to wait for _him_, we might as well get comfortable... it'll probably be a few hours."

Ichigo nodded and started playing with his frizzly hair. "I guess so... last time he took two hours just to find his estate, and that was because I found him in the mountains of Osaka while I was training."

Urahara chuckled, there was no surprise there. "Well, I've actually been working on something that that could help him find things much faster. Important buildings like our dear Kage's castle, his own estate, or if needed the hospital."

Mayuri sighed and glared at his superior, a scowl taking ahold of his odd facets. "Urahara-Taicho. Please stop telling anyone you see about our secret projects. We agreed with Lord Kage, but not all the Seven Swordsmen as a whole."

Urahara laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head in a child like manner. "Mah, don't worry about it, Kurotsuchi-Fukutaicho! They were bound to find out when it was done anyways! Its not like it was top secret or anything!"

"It is _confidential_ and you told one of the _maids_ in Lord Kage's library!"

"Oh yeah... well looks like it's no longer confidential hahahaha!"

Yoruichi sighed, but smiled at Kisuke nonetheless. They've been a couple for months already but she had yet to get used to his occurrences. "Kisuke, you should really stop giving away state secrets to anyone you see in the streets. Last time you did that, we had an entire crowed of civilians anxiously waiting for the first secret test flight of the helicopter in Naruto's backyard."

"I remember that," Toshiro spoke, his voice emotionless, but a hidden amount of amusement was creeping deep in his tone. "Me and my Division had to surround the vicinity with an extremely high ice dome. The people were upset, but we promised them they could have a ride in them when they were ready. A flawless idea to leave the people content and controlled, Kage-sa-."

The eyes of the Seven Swordsmen widened. They all turned towards the Kage and felt fear, thick and unbearable fear crawl down their spines seeing the suffocating purple chakra that was leaking from the man. It rised from his persona up towards the high ceiling and forward towards them, washing over their bodies like a wave of ice that was in a state of gas, but the coldness and pressure on their skin said otherwise. Inexplicable power seemed to radiate off him in a way they had seen only a few times, and even those could be counted with one hand. The most fearful of all however, were his eyes, the Rinnegan eyes responsible for crushing enemies with a simple glance, the purple luminous glow that it naturally gave was incremented threefold, and the tomoes on each circle seemed to spin every few seconds after the killer intent pulsed and throbbed in waves.

Byakuya's emotionless mask was broken as he visibly clenched his teeth to try and take the wave of drowning power and emotion, but again he was reminded that it was meaningless when in the presence of his lord. Toshiro's hands were clutching the edges of the table in front of him, aspiration clear on his handsome face as the energy seemed to ooze over his body. Mayuri and Soi Fon were taking deep intakes of air every few seconds, feeling like they had just ran around their planet two times in a single day.

Yoruichi had her eyes closed and seemed to be visibly shaking, the killer intent with the massive bloodlust leaving her immobile. Shunsui and Urahara were visibly fine, but if one looked closely, they could see that they were in such deep concentration, that sweat was finding its way down their faces to try and not be overpowered by the aura. The only one who seemed to be fine was Ichigo, although he would admit it was interesting how much power the blond could produce without releasing his Shikai Seal.

Finally, after what seemed hours but were actually a couple of minutes, their leader ceased his exposition of power. But then it all clicked when the last member arrived running in through the door with a maniacal grin on his face. Zaraki Kenpachi, the Third of Seven Swordsmen. "I felt an amazing rush of power coming from here, I didn't expect it to be the room I was looking for originally, but here I am." The man stepped in wearing the usual attire for captains, however his white haori was ripped in rabid ends. On the back the Kanji words 'S&A' (Search & Destroy) were imprinted on it.

The S&A Division was exactly that. It was a division filled with warriors mostly from the branch members of the Kenpachi clan, all of them blessed with an amount of chakra that could rival Bijuus below three tails. They were all skilled in the art of killing mercilessly, capable of flattening countries in a single assault. They were loyal only to their captain and the other Swordsman, but especially their Kage, for they were a Division that respected men who held immense power, and there was no other then both their captain and leader, Zaraki Kenpachi, and Namikaze Naruto.

Clinging to his back was Zaraki's adopted daughter, assistant, and lieutenant, Kenpachi Yachiru. She wore the standard uniform for lieutenants, her Zanpakuto was strapped to her left side, and her pink hair was as fluffy as ever. "Neh neh, Ken-chan! See, I told you I knew where we were going! Look, everyone's here!"

All eyes went to Naruto who was grinning back at them. They all chuckled and figured that the only way to get Kenpachi to where they wanted would be to light up a bonfire of pure untamed power, specifically a power high enough to destroy countries. "Now then," Zaraki sat on his seat between Kyoraku and Toshiro, Yachiru still on his back. They all held a stony expression, curiously wondering why Naruto's voice sounded so serious all of a sudden. "Today's topic is simple. I received a message sent by Koyuki, the Daimyo of Spring Country. But it seem the Kage of the Leaf was the one to write it, not her. And so I must ask you." His Rinnegan eyes narrowed and his expression became hardened. "Do we intervene on the war raging below us... or ignore it completely...?"

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**A/N: There seems to be people thinking that this story will revolve around the Bleach universe. I can assure you there will NOT be anything about hollows or Zanpakuto releases. (Zanpakuto is just the name for the blade's of the Seven Swordsmen in general) Everything will be Naruto universe, I just wanted to use Bleach characters because I thought it would be easier for you to imagine, sorry for being selfless... *pouts* plus, if you don't know any Bleach characters, Google is literally a few clicks away, just type in their name and *poof!* you get a picture of him/her. Btw, this WILL NOT be a harem, no matter how this story plays out, it will NOT be a harem. I just thinks it kills any romance involved with it... or reality for that matter... T.T If you have any questions PLEASE ask them and I will answer them in the next chapter. If I don't answer them that means I didn't because it would spoil something for you in the story. Which has already been planned out... sort of... I kept my end of the bargain of updating early and now I need a break, see you in a couple of week's, BYE!**


	5. Chapter 5: And it begins

_***SFX***_

_"Radio speech."_

"**Jutsu's."**

_"HUMAN_ SCREAMS."

"Human speech."

'_Human thoughts_.'

"**BIJUU SCREAMS."**

**"Bijuu speech."**

"_**Bijuu thoughts."**_

**(A/N: See! I do pay attention you your reviews!)**

* * *

The meeting room fell into an uncomfortable silence. The nerve wrecking lack of sound but the birds on the other side of the crystal wall behind Naruto was the only noise crawling through the spacious and light filled room. Naruto stared back at the faces of each of his Swordsmen. He knew all of them would go to war alongside him against the forces that were threatening to overpower the world below them, but he also knew that he promised a country filled with love and peace. Not one that would last a few years in peace, then go back to war a few years after. "I'm fine either way."

All of the Seven Swordsmen made a grunt of honest bewilderment towards their leader, while at the same time giving him a questioning gaze. Would he really be fine forsaking his homeland just like that? They knew Naruto's loyalty rested with the planet he literally built with his own hands, and that he would place it before any other country, but was it really that easy to, _not_ get involved in a war that was threatening the entire planet below them? "Naruto," Ichigo spoke first, his voice clear and assuring. "We know you will place the planet before anything else, but will you really leave your homeland to be destroyed?"

The other Swordsmen nodded in agreement towards the Kage (Shadow), their expressions showing much interest in his answer. Naruto leaned to his right and took a small folder that was resting on his chair. He opened the folder and threw it in the middle of the table with no thought of it. The folder opened in mid air and its contents spilled across the middle of the table. They were pictures containing images of what looked like hundreds of shinobi from the Leaf, Suna, Kumo, and Iwa, all of them laying dead over the sand dunes of Suna, with a crimson pool of their own blood coating the once golden sand, a clear reminder of what they would get involved with; a bloody war.

"I'm not just the leader of this country because I'm the strongest, I'm the leader because I know what benefits my village, and what _doesn't_." Naruto spoke sternly. He stood and used both hands to support himself while he leaned on the table, his Rinnegan eyes showing nothing but true wisdom that years of war produced. "We entered peace not too long ago and became the only shinobi nation that still took missions while the rest were at war. I knew that by doing this, the village would benefit greatly on its rise to power, and it did. We are currently the only shinobi nation still in business in the entire world, meaning we're taking all the missions that the world needs done."

Naruto took another folder leaning on the left side of his chair and threw that one in the middle as well, spreading various sheets of papers containing charts and diagrams of what appeared to be the economy of Wakuseigakure No Sato (The Village Hidden in the Planet). "I made all these charts and diagrams using all schematics of the past year to evaluate a conclusion of what would occur if we stopped taking missions. The result was interesting but expected; the village would be fine without them. The cities of Osaka, Niigata, and Hyogo already produce more currency then what the Five Great Shinobi Villages used to make together. In fact, we could even say that stopping it from taking missions could boost culture, and decrease chances of anarchy within the village."

Naruto sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, an emotionless expression that would challenge the Kuchiki clans own. "But that means nothing if I know I'm sending my shinobi towards their own deaths. _This_ is my home village, so tell me, why the _hell_ should I take my village into a war that would only end in bloodshed?" The blond asked, knowing full well what his subordinates were thinking. He knew that the 'right' thing to do was to help Konoha and Suna, but why should he? As far as he knew, he had no political connections with either of those villages, and now that they were pressed against a wall with a kunai to their throats, they were asking for his help.

Pathetic.

The Seven Swordsmen knew why Naruto was pulling all this data on them; he didn't want to go to war. It was understandable, and completely logical in fact; to ignore the call for aid by the Shinobi Alliance. But they would be lying if they said it was for the best, or that they weren't interested. The war with the Kirigakure insurgents lasted only a couple of weeks after Naruto revived them, and they were reborn far stronger then before; they were antsy for a war that truly tested them, they were warriors after all.

Urahara examined one of the charts made by their Kage and raised an eyebrow in response, his interest piqued. Looks like the village was making more gold then it knew what to do with, yet according to the other diagram, it read that they were barely scratching the surface of the planets crust for precious minerals. '_Yare yare, so that's why our funds are limitless..._' the man handed the diagram to Kurotsuchi and the latter nodded in understanding. "Naruto, as much as I wish we could ignore this, we simply _can't_. Not when this war will be bound to come to us in a later time."

"I concur with Urahara, Naruto." Shunsui spoke, interlocking his fingers in front of his bearded features. "We've known about this war since it started, but we wanted nothing to do with it ever since... by your decision, I might add." Shunsui side glanced at the blond and Naruto shrugged in dismissal. "I wouldn't say it was the wrong decision, in fact I think it was a wise decision. For in that time, our own war was coming to an end, and you were in the middle of our training regime, which required your full attention. Each messenger bird that was sent our way was burned to a crisp, and the shinobi that came our way porting a message were dealt with by you personally."

"Naruto didn't do anything wrong by ignoring the requests made by the people who attempted against him," Ichigo stated, his eyes cold and unforgiving. "The planet was recently made and he was still weakened, both from making the big ball and sealing that thing inside of it at the same time. The people had yet to start building their homes, our Divisions were unorganized, we had yet to build the Hidden Village, our soldiers from the war were lacking skill and sanity, and the three cities responsible for keeping us standing economically were yet to be thought of being made by our Kage. What he did, he did because it was necessary, and if Naruto thinks this war would only harm our home, then he has my full support. Whether it be for war, or neutrality, I don't care."

"While I agree with both you and Naruto, Kurosaki," Toshiro added his own thoughts. "This war will come to us sooner or later, don't forget our Kage is a Jinchuuriki as well. And if that somehow got out, there's no doubt those bastards would come head first towards us. I think the best course of action would be to handle them now while the Shinobi Alliance is still standing and able to help in someway. If we wait, we risk the chance of having this war being fought on _our_ planet."

"And how the hell would it come to that?" Zaraki Kenpachi asked, a deep scowl penetrating his scarred face. "Unless those pieces of shit can fly, there's no way for them to get to us. Besides, I agree with the squirt, it's about time we go rip some heads off and bathe ourselves in blood. Why wait to do something we can handle now, for a day that will come and haunt us tomorrow? If you ask me, that would be a stupid fucking decisi-"

"Watch your tongue, Kenpachi." Byakuya said sharply, his eyes fierce and his aura demanding nothing but respect for their leader. "Kage-sama, if you believe neutrality's what's good for the village, then I shall offer you my full support. If you believe war would let us rest easily at night further down the road, then again you have my full support. No matter your decision, the Kuchiki clan will be there for you and the planet to defend with our lives if needed." The head of the Kuchiki clan said monotonously, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly at Kenpachi for chuckling and saying something about him being the Kage's bitch.

"Easy kid." Yoruichi grinned when Byakuya's perforating gaze turned to her in full power, the old memories of her teasing when he was a boy coming back and perturbing his mind. "Naruto-boy, as much fun as it would be to kill enemy shinobi like in the old days. It's _your_ choice if we go to war or stay standing as we are. This is _your_ village, you have the final word in the matter. We appreciate that you try and make us see what would come if we do intervene, but keep in mind that this war will come to us one day."

Naruto gave a frustrated sigh and sunk himself into his chair, why was being a military leader such a pain in the ass? "Then..." Naruto knew what would come of this war; death. He trusted in the skill of his Seven Swordsmen, he knew what they were capable of and what they could handle, he had seen it before and tested it for himself. Their power was enough to destroy this planet if half of them released both seals at the same time, putting them all together, the planet below them would take a hell of a beating.

Still... things could happen, war was unpredictable and cruel, just like life. But at least in life, there were choices, once war was declared, there was no going back, and the river of blood was both endless and relentless. That was the problem, if his shinobi died, they would stay dead. His lifespan was already shortened drastically by the massive amount of power used to revive all of his Swordsmen with their friends and families. If he even _tried_ to cast the **Rinne Tensei** with his current lifespan, he would die. Which was not a good thing when his village still needed him. That wasn't the biggest problem though, a certain amount of his lifespan could be rejuvenated with the **Preta Path,** but if he did use the **Outer Path**, then he'd be risking too much. So using it again... no, out of the question... he would rather die...

If he ignored this pending threat to his country however, then it would surely come back and bite him in the ass. Specifically when Madara and Obito find a way to reach his planet, for he knew it was not impossible. One of the fundamental rules of war was to never underestimate your opponent, and those bastard Uchiha's were crafty. He knew by experience. But still, peace was something he promised his people, and now after years of diligent struggles to make their country into what other world leaders only dreamed of, he was taking it to war once more.

He sighed, what should he do?

"**There's only one thing you _can_ do... right... kit**?"

* * *

**+Somewhere In The Land of Wind's Desert A Few Day's Later+**

"What of camps Charlie Three, and Alpha Seven? Any word from any of them?" Sasuke asked a female shinobi with long brown hair, and equally soft brown eyes, a single strand of hair hung loosely on the left side of her face, while another stood behind her right ear. Currently, he was standing on a high sand dune that overlooked the scorching desert that was the Land of Wind, a couple hundred miles northwest of Suna, wearing his ANBU attire with no mask. He had no need for it, everyone knew of the ANBU commanders identity. Funny, how was a desert supposed to represent wind anyway? He never understood that crap about naming countries, it made no sense to him. The Land of Fire for example, he never understood why it was named so. The damn place was filled with lakes, rivers, and large forest's, so why the Land of Fire?

Sasuke sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. For a moment, he gave a second thought in taking counseling for war veterans, this fighting was starting to get the better of him. That was never good when being a moments notice into battle. "We have not heard anything so far, Uchiha-sama." Came the soft and polite reply from the innocent looking girl. Sasuke, however, knew better then to think her innocent. He knew this _innocent_ girl, the type you think would never hurt a pup when seeing her pronounced and slightly round cute face, has killed without mercy... just like him. He was there to see it for himself.

Sasuke sighed once more and went to the back pocket of his dark ANBU pants, however life seemed to enjoy pestering him and found them to be empty. "Shit..." the cigarettes that he usually carried with him while in the front lines were missing, an act even he considered disgusting. But, it could not be helped, not when the stress that came from leading whole armies of shinobi into a probable massacre kept hindering his performance. The nicotine that came with, calmed his nerves to no end, and helped in giving the relaxing atmosphere that he so dearly needed once in a while. To the point that if the burning taste of smoke and ash was not teasing his taste buds, he would feel his left hand shake ever so slightly.

Sakura was not the one responsible for his objective related missing calmness though. No, not when she was in Suna fulfilling her duties as head medic for Tsunade who was in his base at the moment, along with the Tsuchikage, the Kazekage, and the Raikage. He turned to his left, his eyes accusing and sharp, there was only one probable perpetrator. "Mimi, it was you wasn't it?" The girl in question, the same brown haired girl who informed him of their current situation winced and wandered her gaze around the sand dunes as if they were somehow turning into gold dust. "Was it Sakura?" Sasuke deadpanned.

"U-um..." the girl played with her teal polished nails for a moment and avoided her superiors gaze like a plague. Finally, she summed up her unyielding resolve and locked eyes with Sasuke's Sharingan orbs. "No."

"You're lying."

"A-ah! N-no...!" How could he break her with just two words?! She whined in a childlike manner as Sasuke's face turned from a deadpanned expression to a look of declining patience. "Ok, I did! Sakura-san asked me to, she said she didn't approve of your smoking in the front lines!" So what if she took his smokes away? It was a nasty and unhealthy habit to have in the first place, he should be thanking her not scolding her!

Sasuke grunted in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest; damn Sakura again. Whenever she had the chance, she would always find some way to take away his cigarettes. It's not like he was addicted to the damn thing in the first place. He smoked on very rare occasions, and even then it was only when he was in the front lines leading his men into battle. "Where are they? If you hand them over willingly, I promise I won't be so hard on you."

The smaller girl sighed and played with the sand surrounding her feet. After a minute or so she finally decided to give in. She pulled her standard issue Leaf shinobi flak jacket forward and digged inside her bra whiles biting her tongue in the ephemeral search for her target. Sasuke rolled his eyes in the not so sneaky hiding place where his cigarettes laid in wait for his use, not very thankful that his Sharingan eyes imprinted the perfect shape and fair skin tone that Mimi's breasts left into his mind. "Here they are!"

She handed the white pack to Sasuke who took it without much haste. He stared at the white pack and wondered if the product was also a trade object sourcing from the supposed 'floating country' that everyone was talking about. Probably was, since these were a new type of cigarettes; menthol flavored to be more precise. An ingenious idea for those that weren't regular users of tobacco. Whoever was the leader of that country must be some interestingly brained leader that knew his stuff about creating revenue for his country.

"Uchiha-sama!" Sasuke snapped his gaze to the side to see a Suna chunin running up the sand dune frantically, terror etched into his heated features, the sun overwhelming even him who was a native. "We got a report from a team of scouts saying they spotted five companies of Kumo shinobi passing through our lines a few clicks northeast from here! According to them," the man gulped and Sasuke gave him a stern look to continue. "They caught sight of the following Jinchuuriki's: the Nibi (Two Tails), the Sanbi (Three Tails), the Yonbi (Four Tails), the Gobi (Five Tails), and the Rokubi (Six Tails), all of them a couple clicks west from their position!"

Mimi gasped and her facial expression turned to that of unaccented fear. Sasuke sucked his teeth and examined his options. For those bastards to be sending that many shinobi with that many Jinchuuriki as insurance, it meant they were tired of playing games and that they were getting restless. Could they of caught wind of their request for assistance from the 'Rikudou Sennin' perhaps? No, that was impossible. Then what? "I want you to head back to camp and send all available Kages here, and have whatever shinobi we have there ambush those five companies. Tell the Kage's we've been compromised and that I need their assistance if we're to return home alive or in body bags, understood?"

The chunin saluted and stood at attention. "Hai! Uchiha-sama."

The man started making his way south from Sasuke's position and the latter hoped he'd get there in time to request backup, or else they'll find him dead or in a bloodied condition, neither being an attractive option for him. The companies in question weren't the problem however, the problem was fighting that many Jinchuuriki's by himself. "Mimi," Sasuke spoke, gaining the girls undivided attention. "I want you to go back to Suna and stay there, you're only here to deliver a report. The report was delivered, now go, tell them of our situation."

"But Uchiha-sa-!"

"That's an _order_, Mimi." Sasuke interrupted, quarreling was definitely not something he wanted at the moment.

"I will not leave you Uchiha-sama!" The girl protested, clenching her hands upwards whilst to her sides, her voice filled with conviction and determination. Nonetheless, the fear hidden deep in her eyes was not invisible to Sasuke's Sharingan orbs. "If I left you now, and Kami help us something happened to you... I could never face Sakura-san or live with myself any longer..."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the girl, an action that commended and tested ones courage to its full extent. An act that would usually make Mimi shrink under his red and overwhelming gaze, but she kept firm, an odd response that Sasuke would admit to be impressed of. Still, "I'm not going to die that easily, baka. Unless you can somehow fight against a Bijuu in its full size, get out of here before I force you away, _chunin_."

The girls eyes softened and finally submitted to the Uchiha's whim, but not before frowning at him and stomping away, her destination being Suna to deliver a message of what was about to occur. Sasuke watched the girls exuberant figure disappear as she ran down the sand dune with distaste. Honestly, why the hell were girl's always so difficult? He never understood how they could just throw away a direct order like something trivial, however he would admit the girl had guts. Most shinobi would leave running for the hills if they were to fight against something as grand as a Jinchuuriki, let alone five.

He sighed and turned back towards the direction the enemy was approaching from. Something was wrong, he could feel it in his gut; that something was amiss, and that the report given to him was missing a special detail. It was a feeling that gave him an unpleasant chill, the sort that would tell him when things wouldn't turn out how he'd like. He could feel something, _sense_ something, like his mind was trying to tell him that there was more then those few Jinchuuriki's coming towards him. Something they had yet to encounter, something big.

What worried him further however, were those five companies of Kumo shinobi which probably consisted of a hundred each. That's if his bingo book was up to date that is, he never much cared in updating it these days. If he was right, there were only a 100 Leaf and Suna shinobi back at base, and if he was right again, then the odds were against them five to one. He scoffed and pulled out a single white cigarette from his pack in the back pocket of his ANBU pants. If they were lucky, they would survive the encounter between himself, the Kage's and the Jinchuuriki's.

Sasuke however knew better, that was Madara's plan, that they would survive. After which those five companies would take a detour towards their location, and that would be the end of them. Sasuke brought  
the cigarette up to his dry lips and placed the tip of his index finger on the peak. A simple discharge of electrified chakra later and it caught a small flame. He greedily inhaled the toxin until his lungs begged for mercy, and exhaled the smoke through his mouth and nose, leaving the bitter aftertaste of burned ash and tobacco deep in the back of his throat.

He did not bother removing the cigarette from his lips, he left it there, there was no time to take his leisure pace in enjoying the luscious venom. If his calculations were correct, then today would end badly for the Shinobi Alliance, specifically him and the Kage's. But how the hell did Madara know that the previous Hokage, the Kazekage, the Raikage, and the Tsuchikage would be on the same spot at the same time? There was definitely something going on in the dark, a spy perhaps, a traitor to the Shinobi Alliance. But that was impossible, not when the Alliance was so close and united, and none but those loyal to Suna and Konoha who have ancestry in either village remained.

Sasuke cursed and raised his crimson gaze over the terrain visible to him. '_Perfect time to be late, Bee._' Their own Jinchuuriki was still in Konoha, late for who knows what reason. His help would incremente their odds tremendously, his **Complete Susanoo** and Bee's Hachibi transformation were an odd, but efficient combination against the other Jinchuuriki's. '_Stupid tako (octopus), I swear if I die because of him..._'

Sasuke took another deep intake of the refreshing smoke deep into his tensed body, the joints that were once stoic regained flexibility and perfect mobility. Finally, he exhaled the soothing cloud of death into the atmosphere and spat the cigarette to the side. After much wandering of his tongue inspecting his teeth for any remain of the drug, Sasuke sucked his teeth one last time and placed a firm grip on the handle of Kusanagi, the blade securely strapped to his back. "And it begins..."

As the words left his mouth, all five Jinchuuriki's appeared a good distance away from the tip of the sand dune he stood on. All of them in a pentagon formation, with him in the center; he was completely surrounded. Sasuke unsheathed the blade, slowly, just to enjoy the screech of Kusanagi grinding against its sheath. The sound of it wavered in the small current of air currently overlapping his raven hair. When was the last time he was so outnumbered and outclassed he wondered, certainly seemed to be a first, but at the same time it didn't.

Sasuke locked his Sharingan eyes with the Jinchuuriki of the Nibi, the two tailed cat. The blond woman sporting a Sharingan and a Rinnegan seemed indifferent to Sasuke, and looked ready for a fight. He turned his Sharingan eyes towards the Jinchuuriki apart from her, the Sanbi, the three tailed Giant Turtle. The Jinchuuriki, a boy, who looked even younger then Konohamaru, stared back with the same expression as Nii Yuugito, expectant of the fight to come.

Sasuke lazily glanced over his right shoulder to another corner of the pentagon formation and came across the Jinchuuriki of the Yonbi, the four tailed King of the Sage Monkeys. The Jinchuuriki, Rōshi, a red bearded older man, was suddenly surrounded by a wave of lava, encasing his body completely with the burning substance, proving that he too was ready for battle. Sasuke smirked, that aught to be interesting. He looked over his left shoulder and was met with the Jinchuuriki of the Gobi, the five tailed horse. Han, a towering man which gave an impressive aura of power and at the same time calmness, but his barely visible Sharingan and Rinnegan eyes seemed eager to begin.

Finally, he turned to his left and narrowed his eyes at the Jinchuuriki of the Rokubi, the six tailed slug. Utakata, a young male who gave a calm and controlled atmosphere, something rare coming from a dead Jinchuuriki. The teen reminded him of himself, his chilled and steady appearance seemingly passive, much like himself.

Sasuke sighed and raised the blade to rest it on his right shoulder, he raised his gaze towards the clear blue sky and took a deep intake of warm air. He exhaled and reopened his eyes. Without removing his eyes from the sky, Sasuke swung his blade downwards towards Yagura, the Jinchuuriki of the Three Tails. The slice created a current of concentrated air from the simple swing, the boy's eyes widened and immediately brought both his arms to shield himself from the current created by the simple slice which cut the air and the sand by the very strength behind Sasuke's menial swing.

The air current met the boys arms and they were immediately sliced halfway through horizontally, but the Edo Tensei instantly started to put them back together almost a second after the injury was created. Sasuke brought his gaze down to see Yuugito with a single blazing blue tail swinging back and forth behind her, ready to pounce on him at any given moment. Sasuke widened his eyes and the usual rush of chakra, power, dexterity and release filled his being when his Eternal Mangekyõ Sharingan spun into life, the red glow giving a reminiscent afterthought to all Jinchuuriki's present of what a _real_ Sharingan looked like. "I'll hold you back until those Kage's get here. Now... come!"

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**A/N: I know, I'm evil, but it just looked liked a good spot to close the chapter. Now, to answer a few questions made. **

***_Whateverdontcare_*: Yes, one can indeed dream; since their meeting is a little later on lol!**

***_LILI Namikaze*: _I am planning to update now! Or is this tomorrow...? Whatever, you get the point!**

***alex0*: No sir I am not planning to, there would actually be no point when a shinobi could practically dodge bullets like they were as fluent as air itself... **

***_Wacko12*: _Zaraki Kenpachi is actually the Third of Seven Swordsmen :) unfortunately, I could not add Komamura because it would be too out of Naruto universe...**

**If you have anymore questions please let me know! Leave a review and help this story get out there! You'll get a free cookie!**


	6. Chapter 6: A bad day

_***SFX***_

_"Radio speech."_

**"Jutsu's."**

"HUMAN SCREAMS."

"Human speech."

'_Human thoughts_.'

"**BIJUU SCREAMS.**"

"**Bijuu speech**."

"_**Bijuu thoughts**_."

* * *

Sasuke swallowed, though he had no saliva in his mouth; thanks to the frustrating heat in the atmosphere, however he just felt the need to do so, for the sake of his current situation. He smirked. He was surrounded, from all angles, by sealed monsters that could devastate a country without proper care. How imbuing of him, to be faced against odds no shinobi on earth would wish to be. However, he was an Uchiha, and one like himself never ran from such an enticing challenge, he would take it and bite down, as wrong as it sounded. His Mangekyõ Sharingan gaze narrowed and did a quick search of his surroundings to register all data around him. What were they waiting for? Did they expect him to make the first major move in this nerve slicing game of chess? Screw that, not when he was at a disadvantage of five to one.

Sasuke ripped his gaze back forward and saw Yuugito make the first move, her cat nails extended into sharply shaped blades and came head first towards him. The Uchiha took Kusanagi reversed grip on his right hand, he frowned and intercepted both clawed hands from ripping his chest apart with a resounding cling, using but a single hand. He glared deep into the eyes of the woman and saw she was only testing him; how amusing. Sasuke gave a light scoff hearing rapid footsteps coming from behind, he glanced over his right shoulder and saw the burning figure of Rōshi heading for his right side.

Sasuke struggled to keep Yuugito back but kept his gaze on the lava coated Rōshi heading right for him. The Uchiha sent sent his opened left hand right through his right underarm and stopped Rōshis attempt to jab him in his gut, whiles at the same time keeping Yuugito from getting the sharp nails any closer to him. The raven haired teen winced feeling the burning lava of Rōshi's fist starting to eat away at his skin, he was at a complete disadvantage. Sasuke grinned. Up above, he could sense the Jinchuuriki of the Five Tail's, Han, literally a few feet above him.

Sasuke's quick wits took ahold of his body and decided on the best course of action. He pulled Rōshi's fist and let Yuugito press through his guard, just at the right timing to make them both clash against the other's forehead. Sasuke jumped immediately and watched from the air how Han took down both of the Jinchuuriki's that were assaulting them with his **Erupting Strong Foot** inhanced by the previous altitude he was in, causing the dune of sand he was previously using as an observation tower to blast high into the sky; there seemed to be a _hell_ of a lotta power behind it to cause that.

The loyal Uchiha had not time to rest when Fū appeared behind him with the help of her bug-like wings. '_where the hell did she come from?! Was she hiding somewhere?! Was she the presence I felt missing?! The Jinchuuriki of the Seven Tails?!_' Fū roundhouse kicked him on his back and sent him plummeting towards the sand that was previously his standing ground. Sasuke sheathed Kusanagi and made a few hand seals, not planning on letting this opportunity got to waste, there would be time to meddle with other thoughts after he survives his current situation. "**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Fireball)** Sasuke summoned forth a tremendously large fire ball and sent it towards his emergency landing, not wanting any surprises coming his way while the sand had yet to settle down.

As expected, Sasuke followed four blurs dodging his fireball and heading straight for him with his Mangekyõ Sharingan, which were identified as Yuugito, Rōshi, Han and Yagura. Sasuke smirked before skillfully dodging through all three kicks and punches sent straight for him by the Jinchuuriki's, all of them being burned and crisped, however they were already returning to their previous conditions. Sasuke braised himself for impact as he turned to face the sky, not wanting to land head first; he just had his eyebrows done. His body met the sand which helped in cushioning the blow, but blistered and hurt his back nonetheless.

Sasuke laid on the sand, his eyes half opened and barely unfocused, an attempt to try and keep the sand from falling into his eyes. He made the horse hand seal and took a deep intake of partially sand coated air, but kept his eyes half opened to keep partial view. The sand settled down, and finally, he widened his crimson orbs to see all the Jinchuuriki's heading straight for him from the sky, all of them with the intent to kill. Sasuke grinned. "**Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!" (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)** Sasuke blew out a wave of flames that spread in every direction above his field of vision, but centered to the area of where all the Jinchuuriki's were falling from.

He took great pleasure in seeing the slight surprise on the face's of the jinchuuriki's when they found out they fell into his trap. The flames skyrocketed the temperature twofold for five seconds, but Sasuke kept the raging flames alive by adding more chakra into his blazing Jutsu, making sure to burn them into scraps as much as possible, in retrospect buying more time for the Kage's to get to his position as they reformed. "Hopefully, I'll be alive before they get here." Sasuke sighed releasing the horse seal he was using to stabilize his chakra, melancholic thoughts creeping into his mind as he peacefully laid on the sand again.

The Uchiha clan head sat on the sand with a frown on his face; something was wrong. A chill went down his persona as a wave of malignant chakra washed all over his body, a begrudgingly familiar chakra signature, the type that could be sensed hundred's of miles away, thanks to it being as clear as the sun in the middle of summer. He stood almost immediately, his Eternal Mangekyõ Sharingan taking its place in the middle of his pupils like a king claiming his throne. After a few seconds, he saw no bodies reforming and taking the shape of a Jinchuuriki's Version Two state, which could be the only chakra responsible for giving _him_ the chills.

Realization hit him like a **Bijuu Bomb**, and unfortunately, it was literally. "OH SHIT-!" His eyes widened as he sent his piercing gaze towards the sky to see all the Jinchuuriki's in their Version Two forms, a **Bijuu Bomb** charging in all of their mauls, the nostalgic red chakra surrounding their bodies, bringing a rare combination of fond and dreadful memories of a certain blond. Sasuke grunted in annoyance, giving a futile attempt to get a split-second idea, but It was too late, they fired.

_***BOOOOOOOOOOOM!***_

The explosion that came with, the connection of negative chakra and positive chakra, the 8:2 ratio between the cleansed energy, caused an explosion that shook the very core of the Land of Wind like an earthquake concentrated into a single orb of delicate balance and pureness, then dropped for it to crack like crystal clear glass. The sand shook for hundreds of miles in a mind-boggling circumference of land, the sound barrier was broken several times by the reiteration of the many blasts that took place with only a millisecond of difference between detonations, and the heat in the epicenter trespassed that of the very surface of the sun for an instant.

All in all, Sasuke considered this a shit of a day...

Sasuke stood in the middle of a sand crater half a mile in diameter, the sand raised by the blow yet to settle down. He panted, his body felt broken, and his lungs, eardrums, and many other vital organs would of been both incinerated and mollified by the not so subtle sound that came with the explosion itself. Fortunately, his Susanoo, the perfect form of his Susanoo currently concentrated to cover his body at a miniature scale, took most of the blast. That alone, spoke _volumes_ of the Uchiha's resilience, for who else could take _five_ **Bijuu Bombs** to the face and live? Hell if Sasuke knew...

Sasuke's ANBU armor was shredded, in more ways then one. The chest area of his armor was nonexistent, the left side of his chest was partially red and burned by the severe heat produced by the blast, and his arms and legs had blood covering them from injuries yet to be spotted out by his eyes. "Shit... I let my guard dow- gah!" The teen doubled over and covered his mouth with his bloodied right hand, only for more blood to cover it immediately, along with this mornings pork ramen. Ah, life was sure a bitch to him sometimes...

"So that's how they did it huh...?" Sasuke mumbled staring down at all five of the Jinchuuriki's standing before him, a magnificent sight of red brilliance and power, their tails swinging about behind them, ensuing anybody foolish enough to consider them non hostile. "You guys are alot more conscious then what you give out to be..." Sasuke wiped the sweat from his brow, a repercussion of so much heat produced both by the desert and the explosion that took place literally around him.

Sasuke being as smart as he was handsome, knew of what actions the Jinchuuriki's took before they even turned to their Version Two forms. It was brilliant, yet not unexpected, but he would commend them nonetheless, for not many shinobi could think so fast in the middle of getting fried by his **Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku, (Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)** '_to think they would turn to Version Two in the middle of a firestorm to retain any damage done by the fire, and come up with an immediate counterattack by preparing a_ **Bijuu Bomb**_ to take advantage of my confidence in my own strategy... fucking amazing for a bunch of dead bastards...'_

Sasuke lifted his right hand and stared at it for a moment, he clenched hard enough to cause a few pops and scowled, as if by the sound of his bones he could tell the caliber of his current power. He gave an indifferent scoff and gave the Jinchuuriki's a blood covered smirk. "You guys brought me down to about 69% of my remaining chakra and stamina. If you're gunna kill me, I hope you really get serious, or this will take forever."

The Six Tails came in forwards first, while Sasuke just remained standing as he was, the cool expression on his face not wavering by the intimidating animalistic roar caused by the Version Two of the Six Tails. "Now!" Sasuke called upon his purple **Susanoo** and made it take ahold of the Six Tails with its left hand, but the Four Tails came forth with its own plans, much like any other predator seeking out its prey. Sasuke saw this and summoned an **Amaterasu** blade on **Susanoo's** right hand and swinged it towards the Jinchuuriki, but the latter easily squirmed over it before it got caught in the blade from the fires of the underworld.

Sasuke expulsed more chakra into his **Susanoo** and it grew into its **Complete Susanoo** form with legs, shield and a eerie purple sword. He glanced above him and saw Yuugito coming down towards him in a peak from, gaining speed and momentum by the second. With the struggling form of the Six Tails in **Susanoo's** hand, Sasuke launched the Jinchuuriki towards the Two Tails in an effort to try and at least _divert_ the direction of where the Two Tails was on. The sudden strategy had the desired effect, but Sasuke was surprised by a head on attack by the other three Jinchuuriki's, which delivered both their clawed fist's into the chest of his **Susanoo** with tremendous power.

Sasuke's **Susanoo** was deactivated and his body was launched in and through a large sand dune as he carved out a trench with every hundred feet he progressed. After finally stopping with his back bloodied and bruised, the teen rose and panted as blood made its way down the left side of his face, considering in making a hasty and strategical retreat. That thought was cancelled however by the notion that the Jinchuuriki's themselves were already much faster and held more stamina then him, even if he was at a hundred percent.

Sasuke clenched his teeth and hands, this was going nowhere. If he kept fighting like this however, then he would definitely not last much longer then what he intentionally wanted. There was only one way to even out the odds in this game of speed. "**Final Susanoo**..." it was his only choice, if he was to live long enough that is. The combined speed of the Jinchuuriki's was much greater then his own, and if he kept at it as he was now, he would die either from getting beat around too much, or fatigue.

If he used **Final Susanoo** however, then their advantage in speed would be meaningless against such a big obstacle, especially if they couldn't hurt him. This, would in turn, force them to use their full Bijuu transformation, equaling out the odds in the fight. The problem with this on the other hand, would be that his chakra would be depleted in a few minutes in his current condition, especially if he had to fight against five Bijuu's at the same time. But it was either that, or die, so the choice was obvious.

"So you are... _Uchiha_**,** Sasuke..."

Sasuke's eyes widened hearing a voice behind him, an emotionless voice that would by far fodder the Hyuuga clans own. It was so cold and void, that he felt his heart clench when it rounded in his ears. It sounded merciless and powerful, toneless and breathtaking, cold yet not frozen, it was incomprehensible and illogical how such a voice even existed in such a warm place. But what startled him above all, was how close the voice sounded, how mystique and clear it came, like he was literally a few steps behind him. But that's impossible, he was the commander of the ANBU unit, the _elite_, how was it that someone could sneak up on _him_.

Slowly, he made to turn, and there he was, six feet away from him. He was a slender yet fairly muscular male of average height with a melancholic appearance. He had fairly short, messy black hair, pale white skin, a black upper lip, and green eyes with small slit-shaped pupils, much like a cat's. Part of his bangs fell between his eyes, his eyebrows being distinctively thick, he had teal lines which descended from the lower part of his eyes. He wore all white clothing consisting of a white jacket with long coattails, a black sash, and a hakama with a sword strapped to his side.

"And you are?" Sasuke asked, with a hidden but visible tone of warning. He cursed when all of the Jinchuuriki's surrounded them both and stepped up to attack him. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Sasuke wasn't sure, but they stopped dead in their tracks when the pale man lifted a single clenched fist. That was enough to gain Sasuke's undivided attention, if the Jinchuuriki's were following the mans orders, then he was definitely not a friendly. "I asked you a question." Sasuke said taking a single step forward, a frown etching his face this time.

The strange man observed him with almost dead green eyes like he was staring at an object, like he was no more then a simple obstacle in his way, an obstacle that carried no life. "I will honor you this once, and allow you to hear my name, for you have proven to be a decent warrior. I am, Ulqiorra Cifer, the Fifth of Seven Espada." Ulqiorra shoved his right hand in his pocket and hardened his gaze on the Uchiha. "Learn it, trash, because it will be the _last_ name you hear in your miserable life."

Sasuke couldn't bat a single eyelash before the man disappeared from his line of sight, an impossible feat for his Sharingan. He appeared in front of him, with his left hand right _through_ his sternum, blood coursing down his beaten and exposed chest. Sasuke blinked, once, twice, not comprehending what was occurring at the moment. At last, he grasped his current situation and could only mutter a single word. "_Wha_...?"

* * *

**A/N: R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7: Outclassed

_***SFX***_

_"Radio speech."_

"**Jutsu's**."

"HUMAN SCREAMS."

"Human speech."

'_Human Thoughts_.'

"**BIJUU SCREAMS**."

"**Bijuu Speech**."

"_**Bijuu Thoughts**_."

* * *

Sasuke felt the pain, yet his face remained stoic. No emotion, just cold and calculatively sterile. He could literally see the enemies hand inside his chest, he could clearly see his blood dripping down Ulqiorra's pale hand to make a trail down his muscled chest. But he also knew, that for something like this to happen to someone like _him_ was impossible. The Jinchuuriki's remained rooted and unmoved, waiting for Ulqiorra to make the sign to ravage their prey, the tails that distinguished them apart flowing in the hot desert air. Sasuke lifted his gaze and came across Ulqiorra's frozen green eyes. He just kept staring back with no emotion at all, something interesting in their current situation. Sasuke tilted his head to the side, wonder roaming around his mind. "You think something like this could intimidate _me_?"

Sasuke's theory was correct when the figure in front of him vanished and the real Ulqiorra several feet away scoffed dryly. He was right. This man, did not place him in a Genjutsu or anything of the sort, it was something _far_ more impressive in Sasuke's opinion. Killer Intent. To actually have such a profound and thick line of _pure_ Killer Intent, it was more then intriguing. It was so strong, that it actually made him see his own death by the hands of the pale man in front of him.

Never did he think he'd experience anything like it ever again, not since he and the original Rookie Seven faced off against Orochimaru all those years ago. _'But this guys... his Killer Intent was several times more powerful then Orochimaru's, it was like a whole other world of difference_...' for someone to actually make him suffer the same experience as back then, at such a stage in his life, where he no longer feared death, but embraced it. It was unthinkable, yet according to this, possible.

Sasuke tenderly rubbed the area where a hole the size of Ulqiorra's hand once laid, but no more. The reminder, the pain, the experience of the fatal wound still remained in his memory. His Killer Intent was that powerful, it left a memory of a nostalgic pain in the back of his mind, along with the taste of iron in the receding parts of his throat, and the feeling of dread ripping his life. It was extraordinary. "The 'Fifth of Seven Espada' huh? Exactly what does that mean, Ulqiorra Cifer?" The Uchiha scoffed in distaste. "It doesn't matter, you're just another part of Madara's group of lunatics. But it's hard to believe someone like you could remain hidden for so long."

Ulqiorra's expression did not change, however he did shove his left hand inside his pocket in a attempt to tame its yearning of taste for blood. "I have no reason to explain myself to you."

"Agreed." Sasuke flickered from sight and landed his right foot onto Ulqiorra's left cheek with tremendous power, enough to create a powerful circular air current by the increase in mass around their position, levitating the surrounding sand in the process.

Ulqiorra's head was slightly twisted to the right with Sasuke's connection, while Sasuke's foot remained rooted to Ulqiorra's cheek without moving. The pale man gave a shallow attempt to readjust his head and stare back into Sasuke's wide eyes, the attack given actually tempting him to scratch the irritated area. Aside from that however, Ulqiorra felt _nothing_. Maybe he overestimated the Uchiha said to be the next Madara after all. "Is that all there is to your strength, Uchiha?"

Sasuke's expression showed nothing but unbelieving shock. His eyes were wide, his mouth was slightly agape, and his cheekbones were pulled in a futile attempt to hide any emotion. 'How...?' That was the question, how? He put everything he had into that one kick, every single ounce of power he currently possessed. He was weakened at the moment yes, but even then, that much power was enough to hurt Bee in his Hachibi form. Yet this guy, who appeared out of nowhere, without being _sensed_ by him, took a blow to the face and just asked if that was all. "Wh-what are you...?"

Ulqiorra lifted his left opened hand and used the back of it to slap Sasuke's foot away, in effect causing the latter to stagger back a couple feet. Not a single scratch. There was nothing on his face, not a single deformation or ripped skin or anything that would indicate a connected blow that would crush boulders even remained on his flawless skin. Ulqiorra simply took a single step towards Sasuke, and the Uchiha was tempted to take one back himself, but refrained from doing so. Ulqiorra took another two and Sasuke clenched his teeth and hands, the tension starting to get to his body.

Ulqiorra brought a swift left punch to Sasuke's stomach. The latter doubled over, his eyes widened exponentially, his pupils dilated and blood was coughed out in repercussion. The Uchiha felt all air leave his body, his mind had yet to return to the world of the living, and it was the first time he had felt so inferior and outclassed by a single opponent. Part of him had yet to confirm if what was happening was real in the first place, for who else but Madara, or even the passed Naruto could push him to such levels? It was just not possible.

"You are weak." Ulqiorra muttered, the words easily caught by Sasuke, for they sourced right next to his right ear. Those three words felt like someone stabbed him in the chest over and over with a disinfected, pristine and blunted kunai, meant to hurt, but not kill. Which in Sasuke's mind was worse then death. "In my time I have fought warriors worthy of being called so, and only a few have ever defeated me in combat. That, however, was because of my own doing. For being young and having power makes you arrogant, but being old and having power makes you wise. You, Uchiha. Are stuck in the middle."

Sasuke took a shuddered breath, a cold and unfamiliar air clenching his lungs in the process. Never had he been told about his own faults so bluntly, however he felt offended, he was not a fool who would take it as nothing but. He was a trained shinobi, a prodigy, a genius, he was not a child to consider it just that. He took Ulqiorra's words and made them into words of wisdom, words coming from a shinobi who has seen more then he has, and applied it into what was necessary for a shinobi who had yet to see his full potential, someone like him; a newborn child who had yet to start running.

Sasuke's blood dripped down his chin and onto Ulqiorra's arm, which had yet to leave Sasuke's stomach. Ulqiorra shook his head softly and wondered if he was just waisting his time. He removed his arm from Sasuke's limp form, the former was about to drop face first to the sand, but Ulqiorra stopped him by grabbing his neck with the same hand that placed him in such a condition. The Espada placed him on his knees and released him, while Sasuke's head hung loosely towards the ground. "Perhaps, I overestimated you."

Ulqiorra reeled his left hand back, intent on finishing the Uchiha by stabbing him with pure speed and strength right through the boys collarbone. Ulqiorra lamented taking a life so young for a single reason, that reason being, that one day, if he was lucky, this boy could of grown into a man and given him a fight worthy of his time. "Goodbye, Uchiha Sasuke. May hell be your final resting place." Ulqiorra lunged his hand towards him with his fingers pointed forward, feeling merciful enough to kill the boy as painlessly as possible.

Sasuke meddled with Ulqiorra's words for a moment and came up with an obvious conclusion; he had yet to reach his full potential. All these years he had thought himself strong enough to defeat Madara by himself, and that training any further would only divert his judgment further from that goal. But now, as he stood kneeling in front of his subordinate, the question of; 'was this really all he was capable of?' roamed in his dazed mind. Was there no more to the prodigy of the powerful shinobi clan that was the Uchiha?

'_N__o_.' Sasuke thought, the words rebounding in his denial ridden mind. There was more, much more that he could do, many more people that he could learn from. Without the need of seeing where Ulqiorra's hand was descending from, Sasuke caught the Espada's wrist with his firm left hand. "Don't underestimate me, Ulqiorra!" Sasuke broke down the gates that held back years of potential with a single cry of the enemies name, the natural dark tint of the Uchiha's chakra invading the senses of all nearby living beings with a sense of grief and dread.

Ulqiorra, however impressed by the sudden power boost the boy exposed, considered it a bare minimum of what he'd expected from a worthy plaything, but nothing else. "Show me, Uchiha." Ulqiorra broke the hold Sasuke had on his wrist, and shoved it in his pocket once more. Sasuke reactivated his Mangekyõ Sharingan and it glowered red in a luminous glow of power and dexterity, the dark chakra of the Uchiha clan swirled around his being, giving him a image of an escaped demon from hell. "I hope this time, you will show me what lies in wait inside you."

Sasuke's left hand gave a spark of electricity, his eyes became fiercer and his face turned feral. In a moments notice, his left hand was furled in lightning as the sound of a thousand birds took ahold of everybody's sense of hearing. Sasuke however wasn't finished, his right hand was also encased in a deep and shining coating of lightning, the constant sparks and branches of lightning creating a shadow that lingered in his feral expression for various instances. "**Chidori**..."

Sasuke charged and sent forth his double **Chidori** with renewed vigor, the intent to kill taking forth. Ulqiorra on the other hand, was not faced in the least. The fifth Espada raised both his opened hands and _caught_ both attacks on his opened palms point blank, the electricity seemingly ineffective on his body. Sasuke gawked at the pros this enemy, that was obviously far more proficient in battle then he, stop the Chidori's penetrating power with nothing but his flesh; this was definitely a first for him. "I-impossible-"

"On the contrary." Ulqiorra interrupted, his voice smooth and for the first time showing any signs of life; actually feeling a tinge of excitement even. "You actually dealt a relatively small amount of damage to my hands." Ulqiorra released a certain extent of his chakra, a colored wave of green and black, a pulse that caused the Uchiha clan head to stumble back a couple feet by the overwhelming sting of the pressure behind it. "It seems, I underestimated you after all."

Sasuke could not process this, even with his new found thirst for power, and the determination to learn and grow stronger, his **Chidori** was incapable of penetrating _flesh_ from another human being, just what the hell was going on? He gazed at the extended hands that was Ulqiorra's with remorse, seeking _anything_ that could actually mean he had a single chance against this foe. Finally, the smoke cleared and a sign from Kami that he was at last getting somewhere appeared before him. On both hands, there was a trail of blood flowing down the palms of Ulqiorra's pale hands. "Finally."

"Do not rejoice just yet, trash." Ulqiorra wiped his hands against the other and relished the familiar and rare sting of an opened wound on his body. Something rare indeed, when was the last time he had seen his own blood he wondered? He honestly could not remember. "There is something I should probably mention before you dwell on nonexistent hope, Uchiha. As you see me now, I am not using _half_ of my true power." Ulqiorra simply stated, his words carrying no hint of bluff, but certainty.

Sasuke took an involuntary step back, a sense of disbelief taking his brain for a joyride known as denial. Not even half of his real power? Bullshit, it had to be. But his eyes showed nothing but the truth, nothing that said anything but. If that was true, did that mean Ulqiorra was only playing with him up to this point? Did he ever _truly_ try to attack him full force? Or was he only using him as a toy, only meant to amuse him? "Yo-you're lying..."

"Please." Ulqiorra muttered, his eyes closing and his words showing amusement and truth. "A person such as myself does not dwell in such a useless act. I only speak the truth." Ulqiorra started walking towards Sasuke, his steps far too lazy and uncaring of their situation, the Jinchuuriki's around them getting anxious by the Killer Intent leaking from the Espada. "You see this sword here?" Ulqiorra questioned pointing at the blade dug into his left side of the black sash around his waist. "This blade is specially made for that purpose. To seal most of my power in order to move around freely without being detected. As I am now, you are still not _half_ as powerful as me. If I were to release the seal of this sword, then you would not be able to even bear to stand before me, trash."

Ulqiorra stood a couple feet away from him, Sasuke swallowed, and Ulqiorra narrowed his eyes. Ulqiorra turned his body to the right, then completely spun himself to the left and unattached his footing from the sand below to deliver a butterfly kick to Sasuke's left cheekbone, at a speed his Sharingan caught, but his body could not. Sasuke was sent scurrying through the sand, skidding over it like a smooth rock thrown over a calm lake. After several hundred feet of skidding through the hot sand, Sasuke's way was intercepted by a soft pair of mounds that felt quite comfortable on his beaten head. "What the hell happened to you?!"

Sasuke groaned, it seemed his head was currently in between Tsunade's large breasts. The Uchiha clan head removed himself from the embarrassing position and stood upright, his head still doing a few spins by the blow it received. He stood his ground and gave a few hard breathers, he could feel blood dripping from his chin, meaning the wounded area where Ulqiorra's attack was received was enough to open an injury, and if he was lucky, only fractured. He tsked his tongue and wiped the crimson liquid with his left forearm, things were truly starting to get annoying. "About time you got here. I was starting to think I would be saving the world on my own this time."

Tsunade sighed and crossed her arms under her bosom, Sasuke acting like a spoiled child didn't really surprise her anymore. "We were waiting to see if we would receive any response from the 'Rikudou Sennin', but it seems we might be on our own after all." Tsunade informed the ANBU commander, whiles the rest of the Kages landed behind both of them.

Ōnoki looked Sasuke up and down with a small smirk on his face, the cocky boy looked like a couple mountains fell on him. "It seems the Uchiha-boy got his yearly dose of ass whooping."

"Screw you, Ōnoki."

"I'm the Tsuchikage brat, show some respect!"

"Tsuchikage of _what_?"

"Enough." The massive muscular man that was the Raikage ordered. "Sasuke, what's our situation?"

Sasuke put his glaring contest with Ōnoki on hold and turned towards the Raikage with a scowl printed on his face. "We're outnumbered and outclassed. The Jinchuuriki's are at Version Two state right now, and they're pretty put on trying to kill me, and make way for Suna. As I'm sure you heard, and probably _felt_ a few moments ago, an explosion took place by a combination of six **Bijuu Bombs** fired at me. At the same time."

"Wait." The Kazekage spoke, his expression as emotionless as ever. "What do you mean outnumbered? The scouts reported only seeing _five_ Jinchuuriki's heading our way."

"That's where they were wrong." Sasuke insisted. "There are six Jinchuuriki's. But... there is someone else with them, someone I've never seen before. His name's Ulqiorra, he said he was a member of the 'Espada'... whatever the hell that is." Sasuke hardened his gaze on all the Kages, and they immediately stood straight to give their full attention. "He was the one responsible for sending me flying half a kilometer from where we were fighting, with a single kick."

The Kage's tightened their resolved and tried but failed to remain stoic, for the clenched fists and the slightly widened eyes betrayed their true emotions. They knew Sasuke was the strongest shinobi they had in their Shinobi Alliance, but they also knew he was never one to exaggerate over an enemy, especially one to be that strong. They believed he could handle fighting the Jinchuuriki's for a certain amount of time as well, but from what his condition told them, either they miscalculated, or Sasuke got cocky over his own abilities. Which again wouldn't surprise them.

"Let me handle Ulqiorra." Sasuke offered. He took a step back and turned towards the direction of where he could clearly see Ulqiorra actually _walking_ towards them, a melancholic expression on his face, while his left hand was once more shoved in his pocket, the Jinchuuriki's on all fours loyally walking behind him. "You guys keep the Jinchuuriki's at bay, while I find a way to kill this bastard. Someone this powerful cannot be allowed to go back to Madara."

"I see more trash has appeared before me." Ulqiorra proclaimed, a sigh indicating his boredom and frustration. "How annoying. All of you are but flies that do not deserve the life given to you. Come, let me do this world a favor and slice your necks open to cleanse it of this plague." Ulqiorra disappeared from all of their sights, the Jinchuuriki's stopped.

"It is over."

Sasuke felt _fear_ crawl on the surface of his skin, a feeling of trepidation made its way to the pit of his stomach and visibly paled hearing Ulqiorra's voice in the middle of them all. Ulqiorra unsheathed his Zanpakuto, and allowed himself a small but still invisible smile. He did not expect to be done with this mission so quickly; all of his targets on one small circle.

*_**CLIIIING!**_*

The sound of steel meeting steel lingered in the ears of all those present. The power behind Ulqiorra's flat right swing towards Sasuke's neck was intercepted by the unknown shadow of a person using a sword in a two handed guard position, in effect, the sand rose from its slumber and blocked everyone's field of vision with its dusty state, further hiding the appearance of the person that intervened. Only those who had their blade's crossed could see each other clearly, aside from them, visibility was zero to all. Ulqiorra's expression showed true surprise seeing _him_ here, something truly shocking indeed. "You are..."

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review guys and gal's, it takes but a minute of your time, and it takes me quite a bit of effort to make a single chapter. It's the life source for all authors, especially me, so be nice! Forgot to mention this on the last chapter, but Naruto meant he had no POLITICAL connection with either village, I was trying to give the reader a clear impression that he places his village before his own feelings(Like a true leader). Btw, being a Jinchuuriki doesn't mean your lifespan won't decrease, if that was the case, then don't you think the ORIGINAL Rikudou Sennin would still be alive by being the Jinchuuriki of the JUUBI?!**


	8. Chapter 8: Blond hair

*_**SFX**_*

"_Radio speech_."

"**Jutsu's**."

"HUMAN SCREAMS."

"Human speech."

'_Human thoughts_.'

"**BIJUU SCREAMS**."

"**Bijuu Speech**."

"_**Bijuu thoughts**_."

* * *

'_Eagle, Diary Entry; Day 1, 1400 hour's: Today, the declaration of war was announced by Kage-sama. A strike force of 30 DEMOLITION Shinobi were ordered to prepare and head out immediately, lead by none other then the Third of Seven Swordsmen. Tch, funny, I'm having trouble considering this my rotten luck, or extremely good one. For one, out of the various teams of DEMOLITION squads, mine was chosen to strike first in this war. However, not everyone gets to meet a single one of the Seven Swordsmen. I even had the honor of shaking the man's hand_.'

'_Eagle, Diary Entry; Day 1, 1600 hour's: We just sat out into the unknown. Me and my team of 30 were sent out in three separate UH-1 Iroquois, or 'Huey' how the rookies nicknamed it. As usual, leaving the Land of Rikudou's gravitational field made us feel extremely light; the gravity on our planet is twice to that of the earth's after all, why that is... heh, it's classified. I still don't understand how these damn things can float in the first place. Though if I even attempted to comprehend the logic in which Urahara-sama and Mayuri-sama used to create this machinery, I'd just end up with a big migraine, even for a tactical genius like myself; it's incomprehensible. Thanks to them however, we're supposed to arrive to Suna in a few days time_.'

'_Eagle, Diary Entry; Day 1, 1800 Hour's: Its been an entire day of watching nothing but blue as we travel over the ocean. It really is rather dull. Especially since we don't have much to do in this big metal bird. My guys keep arguing back and forth, something about the odds of the Seven Swordsmen defeating Kage-sama are those of the moon being made of cheese. Fools, they underestimate the Seven Swordsmen, but I'll admit that it would take true skill and power for our dear Kage to finish them off by himself_.'

_'Eagle, Diary Entry; Day 2, 0800 hour's: We're half way through the Land of Fire. Already we've stopped six times to refuel the big wannabe bird with a combustible liquid that allowes it to fly... the STEALTH Division really are impressive, those secret bases containing the fuel were really well hidden. As we entered this cursed land however, the spite, tension, hate and anger was completely visible on the auras of my men. We all know what occurred to Lord Kage in this god forsaken land, and even I would admit to wanting to make a quick stop and blow a couple buildings or two; just for cracks. Have them feel a quick taste of what Kage-sama felt during his time in this sorry excuse of a nation_.'

'_Eagle, Diary Entry; Day 2, 1400 hour's: I sensed the Third of Seven Swordsmen jump out of the chopper ahead of us two hours after we entered Suna, a country of which Kage-sama spoke fondly. Well, at least of its leader. Boar was saying something about that being bull, but who knows, at the end of the day they're just rumors. I digress, hopefully my newborn came to be in a healthy manner. I would love to be with my wife and child, but my nation needs me, and I will serve faithfully. From what I've heard, Kage-sama picks team's to be sent by examining their personal abilities. So if he thinks I am capable of striking first in this war; I shall not fail, no matter the cost_.'

* * *

Eagle, the leader of the 30 man team, closed his leather black personal war diary with a shallow thump. He uncrossed his legs, and took a small intake of air. Two days on this thing and he had yet to get accustomed to the sound of the rotor, or the smell of burning chemicals for that matter. The man placed his left hand on the handle that kept the safety of the crew in check, he pressed the pressure button on the back of the chromed handle and slid it open without remorse.

Immediately, a shower of hot air invaded the senses of all those inside the metal piece of machinery and knew what was to come. Eagle stood up as best he could in the cramped space. The man wore the standard attire for leader's of DEMOLITION teams: a black Shihakushõ under a black cape, which helped to cover ones body from the elements, a katana with a short handle and black sheath, a bone-white mask that protected his identity, along with teeth like markings on the bottom area, as well as red line markings on the upper left corner of the mask. (Ichigo's hollow mask)

His men, who were sitting both around him and behind him stood as well, all of them wearing the same, however their masks contained animal's with red lining. Eagle pressed on the 'send' button hidden on the right side of his mask, resulting in a slight buzzing sound as the radio waves made contact with the similar frequencies. "_This is Eagle. Prepare to disembark the bird. Do you copy, Boar, Rave?_"

"_Roger, Boar copies_." Came the immediate answer of the Huey in front of Eagle.

"_Understood, Rave copies_." Came the answer from the one in the opposite direction.

Eagle allowed his body to fall forward. He spread his arms wide and took the hot air rubbing against the openings his uniform provided with slight comfort. The HALA (High Altitude Low Activating) jump was of 15,000 feet, and according to the details he received from the sixth base they arrived inside of the Land of Fire, one would die unless he was a shinobi from this high. Fortunately, they knew, that it wasn't the height that killed you, but the sudden stop at the bottom.

Eagle turned his body in order to stare at the blue sky, proud to see all 30 of his men right behind him; they truly feared nothing, thankfully the heli's were already heading towards the extraction point. Eagle placed his right opened hand on his heart and directed his left arm above his head, an intricate seal to position themselves around his falling figure. He turned his body to face the closing sand below, and didn't need to check that his men were now in a single straight line with him in the middle. He mused how easy it was for them to let gravity take its course, meddling with the thought of where their lost sanity roamed.

"_Activate_." Eagle's commanding voice buzzed in through the radio's of all his men. Thanks to Eagle and his men's quick wits, perfect chakra control and perfection in seal memorie, they were capable of casting Jutsu's without the need of seal's. "**Fūton: Daitoppa**!" (**Wind Release: Great Breakthrough**) The air Jutsu easily softened their decent by huge margins, the coming sand seemed to slow as all his men, including himself, slowed their decent to the unforgiving ground by the wind Jutsu.

Eagle landed on one knee on the hot sand, Boar landed to his left, and Rave landed to his right in the same position. Clearly as the sun above them, Eagle heard the soft thumps of his men landing on the sand softly, as quiet as a needle landing on a mountain of sand; like true shinobi. "_Tactic: Full Moon. Boar, take left flank, Rave, take right. I want no mistakes, let's finish this as ordered; quick and easy. Copy?_"

"_Copy_." Boar answered.

"_Copy_." Rave added.

"_Go_." As the whispered orders were given, both Boar with ten and Rave with another ten of his men took to their orders. Boar disappeared to the left flank along with his ten, while Rave took to the right flank with his ten, leaving Eagle with his own ten lined behind him. Eagle stood back up, allowing himself a small, but calm intake of his surroundings, savoring the battle that was to come. The sand dunes, the wavering mirage of a nonexistent liquid on the bordering end of his line of sight; it gave this country a truly rustic beauty.

Eagle lifted his left hand with his middle and index finger's extended to wave them left and right, indicating his men to file a line with him in the middle. The shinobi quickly followed the orders and lined next to him accordingly. "_Stay concrete_." Eagle advised, for the enemy was close at hand.

If his Intel was correct, then there should be five companies heading his direct direction, each consisting of 80, a total of 400 shinobi; Kage-sama bless the STEALTH Division. However, that was not all, there was more, much more, something he considered a pleasure to deal with.

"Who are you?"

Eagle turned to see an entire company of Konoha and Suna shinobi, but that mattered not. What did, was _who_ were the ones in the lead of this fragile looking company. Had Eagle not been a superb trained shinobi, he would of scoffed at their appearance. Most of them were nervous, sweating, and completely shrouded in visible fear. Something told Eagle that these men and women were informed that they were heading towards their death. However, those in the front showed no fear, no hesitation danced about in their eyes, no hovering false sense of duty even passed through their features.

"I presume you are what remains of the famous Rookie 12, correct?" Eagle asked as a massive pillar of blue light rose in the distance, and the previously blue sky filled with cold storm clouds.

* * *

Ulqiorra, uncomprehending how _he_ was in front of him at the moment, could only gawk in denial. "You are... Hitsugaya Toshiro huh...? Exactly how are you here... **Edo Tensei** perhaps...?" Ulqiorra detached his blade from the snow haired boy's, his expression turning from interested to bordering delight. How couldn't it? He was facing off against his junior, a boy prodigy that almost took his place as the original Seven Swordsmen. If he was here, Ulqiorra was honestly considering going all out immediately, for even their combined forces would be suppressed by the First of Seven Swordsmen; if he was here too that is.

Toshiro swung his blade to the right, in effect, the surrounding sand blew itself into calmness, returning visibility to the surrounding people. Toshiro stood in the middle of the leader's of the Shinobi Alliance, his face emotionless, his turquoise eyes emitting the aura of a cold being in boredom, his Division Captains haori blowing with the warmth in the natural heating the Land of Wind was famous for. His Zanpakuto, Hyōrinmaru, standing at the ready for a frontal assault. "**Edo Tensei**...? Hmph, I am a being brought fully. Meant to fight scum that deserve not the life they were given. Specifically you, Cifer... though I'd prefer avoid a battle with my senpai, the orders of my Kage are obsolete."

Ulqiorra took two steps and crossed blades with the boy, his left hand shoved in his pocket, the hold on his blade trembling from the strength being used to suppress Toshiro's two handed crossed guard. The sparks perturbing from the grinding of both blades danced around their swords and arms like a magnificent exposure of harmless rays of energy. "Your Kage you say? Who might this Kage be?" Ulqiorra withdrew his blade once more, only to bring it down onto Toshiro's upper guard with more strength then the previous assault. The sparkles of sand rose with the wave of blue against green chakra, the circle of powerful shinobi around them could only cover their eyes to shield them from both the sand and power bursting out of each of their crossing of blades.

Toshiro weakened his guard and allowed Ulqiorra to break through slightly, enough to bewilder the Espada in the weakened defence at such a crucial moment of strength. But Toshiro knew what he was doing, he allowed him to break through to close him in for a knee to Ulqiorra's midsection, causing the latter to grunt in discomfort. Toshiro did a complete turn on his left heel and reeled his right foot back to crush Ulqiorra's face with it while Espada was still stunned. "Gah...!" Ulqiorra was sent spiraling through the air by the clean strike to his face, but back flipped in mid-air to land on both feet, right in front of the Jinchuuriki under his command. "I see you will not speak."

Toshiro was not surprised to see Ulqiorra wipe away his attack like it was nothing, for he knew Ulqiorra's secret as if it was his own. He and Ulqiorra had a past together which he personally rather not remember, a past that only his close comrades and friends knew. "I see you are using the Cursed Blade once more. Even after death, you do not repent, Ulqiorra-_senpai_. I guess that is a feat I have always admired of you, however hated it as well. Unlike our Zanpakuto's, which seal our power without payment of blood. Your's need to slay a human life every so often to keep your power in check."

"And that is why your's are weaker then our's, Toshiro." Ulqiorra persisted. "Our Zanpakuto's are strong enough to suppress our massive power with a single seal, and only those with even more massive power like Aizen-sama, the Second of Seven Espada and the Third of Seven Espada need a sceond seal to be contained completely." Ulqiorra raised a single clenched hand to stop the Jinchuuriki's from moving once more; it seems they were getting impatient. "My power right now is the equal to your Shikai Seal. As you are now, you will not be able to hurt me, Hitsugaya."

"Tch." Toshiro scoffed at Ulqiorra's logic, even if what he spoke of was correct. In his current state, he stood no chance again Ulqiorra, for his power was the same as his Shikai Seal. But that could be easily fixed. "Sit upon the frozen heavens..." Toshiro's body crackled with an electrified aura as the temperature smoothly decreased little by little. The heavens above started turning from its clear blue sky into a sullen, swirling, dark, cloud filled atmosphere of power increased only by the blue aura that was being released by his body, encasing Toshiro's turquoise eyes and body with its luminous glow.

"HYŌRINMARU!" Toshiro released his Shikai Seal and Hyōrinmaru glowered blue as the sand trembled in both power and fear, the sky swirled above his position and the unanimous glow of the blue aura around Toshiro circled his position like its was naturally attracted to his radiation of blue chakra, whiles Sasuke and the Kages did their best to shield their eyes from the roaring winds sourcing from the boy like he was the eye of a hurricane, confused and astonished that someone so young could muster so much power with a simple call of a name.

Toshiro felt the first seal dislocate itself from his chakra coils and felt the rush of power as his blood turned into a silken line of untamed adrenaline, his body turned unrigid and his hair seemed more defying of gravity then usual, his eyes were somehow more cold and unforgiving, bored even, but somehow showed nothing but fierceness. Constant sparks of opposing chakra signatures flared around them to make them even more menacing. The boy breathed in a deep intake of air, and exhaled just as widely. Unsurprisingly, breath vapor left his mouth with the exhale.

Now thanks to the release of his Shikai Seal, his chakra, strength, speed, affinity, and power in general multiplied itself by various margins. He could see the blue chakra surrounding his arms, legs and body, dancing around it like its loving caretaker, with no hint of betrayal of ever leaving it to disperse around the atmosphere. He held Hyōrinmaru on his right hand and glanced at it like a priceless object, which to him, it was. He considered it a partner that allowed him to move freely without the worry of being detected by the enemy, even by the abilities of sensing shinobi. He considered it a relic that protected and helped him, for it allowed him to be a shinobi.

Toshiro swung the blade back, a thin trail of cold ice followed the tip of the sword, imprinting itself on the sand in the process, thanks to the natural Ice Release chakra overflowing over Hyōrinmaru. It was truly unique. "Uchiha Sasuke, Senju Tsunade, A, Ōnoki, Sabaku No Gaara. My name is Hitsugaya Toshiro, the Third of Seven Swordsmen. My orders from my lord were to not to let any of you perish this day. And although I'd rather keep this fight only between me and my senpai, it is unlikely for he has us outnumbered. I will need your assistance against the Jinchuuriki, but whatever you do, stay away from our loca-"

"Intelligent as ever, Hitsugaya Toshiro." Ulqiorra interrupted, his appearance not showing any signs of being impressed by Toshiro's previous exposition of power. "You are correct. Do not believe that just because you arrived here, I am going to turn on my heel and fail my mission. Quite the contrary really, now I will have the pleasure of taking your life once more..." Ulqiorra breathed in a single take of the cold air that now overpowered the dry ecosystem and let loose the full potential of his current state run wild. '_No more need to hold back_...'

The power of the Fifth of Seven Espada burst into a literal explosion of pure condensed energy, the unstable ground below him spread from the mans location by the wave of unimaginable black power that it was assaulted with, as if fear was somehow inhibited into the lifeless sand by the oppressing feeling of Ulqiorra's chakra spreading across the desert like the first shower of the raining season.

Ulqiorra swung his blade towards the cold clouds above, and his power reached its maximum in his current form. The sky tore itself apart from his side and showed its normal shining blue for a moment before the stormy clouds of Toshiro retook the atmosphere once more. Ulqiorra's green chakra swirled around his body ceremoniously, giving him the look of a being who sought uncontrollable power, and found it by turning his heart dark.

"Well then," Ulqiorra started, "I see you have improved since our first encounter from long ago. However, if this is all, then I suggest releasing your Bankai Seal. For you will not be able to harm me with that pathe-" Toshiro disappeared from sight. In the blink of an eye, Ulqiorra's chest was sliced open by Hyōrinmaru, a clean slice starting from his right hip to his left shoulder. Ulqiorra's eyes actually widened in astonishment, unbelieving that this _Kohai_ (junior) actually sliced through his Hierro; a condensation of an Espada's chakra, which creates a steel-hard skin strong enough to make almost every attack impervious against the users flesh. A powerful Jutsu only capable of being used with perfect chakra control. "Wha-...?!"

"Remember the first rule you taught me, _senpai_?" Toshiro asked, his eyes as cold as the atmosphere around them. "_Never_, underestimate a single opponent. Even if you have fought that same enemy a hundred time's." Toshiro kept his blade pointing towards the sky after the deep cut he gave his once senpai. "You just have, _Ulqiorra_." Toshiro twisted his wrist and the blade followed, he brought it down and aimed for Ulqiorra's chest once more, but the latter intercepted with his own crossed blade.

Ulqiorra was impressed. No, he was _flabbergasted_. Hundred's of year's ago, Toshiro was incapable of even _scratching_ his skin with his blade. And back then he considered himself weak, now that he had the 'Cursed Blades' as the Seven Swordsmen called them, his power was surely twice as then. This could only mean that whoever this 'Kage' was, knew well how to train his shinobi. "Just what I would expect from a boy genius who was _banished_ by his cursed clan."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes and took a step back to try and catch Ulqiorra off guard, but the Espada rarely fell for the same trick twice. Ulqiorra jumped back into the middle of the Jinchuuriki's, his blade resting to his right side. "Go." Ulqiorra muttered, deciding to take his given advantage.

* * *

The Kage's and Sasuke could only watch in _complete_ wonder and awe, Sasuke especially. A few moments ago, he was getting his ass handed to him in a silver platter. The next however, a stranger suddenly saves his neck -quite literally too-, and starts cutting Ulqiorra like a paper doll. Something was for certain, this Toshiro guy was definitely someone who held great power. Such great power in fact, that every time he swung his blue aura covered blade, a thin trail of ice followed the tip like a magnet attracting a nail.

His moves were perfect and coordinated, his grace made it look easy, but there was more to it; his Sharingan told him so. Every _move_ was calculated, every _swing_ was perfection, every single intake of _breath_ was taken into equation, every _finger_ he placed on the handle was overseen to balance the blade like a true master. His chakra was monstrous and oppressing, his presence was intimidating, his eyes were unforgiving, his blue flowing aura demonstrated power, and his sword was elusive to the fundamental nature of reality by its glowing nature.

But one did not need his Sharingan to see what's right in front of him, he could see on the faces of the Kage's that he was no alone with these feelings. This overwhelming feeling of respect and fear in prefect balance was attached to them like a second skin. It was amazing. The clear question that came by seeing this man trading blades with Ulqiorra, a shinobi even Sasuke couldn't handle, was if a subordinate of the legendary Rikudou Sennin was _this_ strong, then exactly how strong was _he_?

"Sasuke! Heads up!"

Toshiro side glanced towards Sasuke and gave a cold smirk sensing something falling from the sky's at a magnificent speed even he would never dare challenge; uncaring and unworried of the Uchiha's situation.

The Kage's ran towards the dazed Sasuke frantically, if those attacks connected, he was done for.

Sasuke was brought out of his internal musing by Tsunade's voice, only to see all six of the Jinchuuriki's with their fists extended towards him. Time seemed to slow as the red and black chakra covered fist's neared him until they were a mere ten feet in front of him. "Oh shit..." Sasuke mumbled. He knew better then anyone that those attacks, should they connect, would be fatal.

Sasuke blinked once, and as he opened his Eternal Mangekyõ Sharingan eyes, he saw a figure wearing a long-sleeved ankle-length black coat flicker into existence right in front of him with a speed defying the laws of physics themselves. The sand rose as the figures legs met the ground, his aura was commanding and superior to anything the Uchiha had ever witnessed in his life before. The figure had his left hand shoved in his pocket, while his right arm was outstretched towards the nearing Jinchuuriki's in a lazy fashion.

The jet black coat the anonymous figure wore flowed in the wind majestically, like a mystical creature out of a legend from folktale. His outstretched arm seemed to radiate energy thick enough to materialize into purple flame-like chakra, and for some unknown reason, Sasuke could feel that the figures eyes were also coated with the same signature of power and life.

Finally, his eyes reached the top of the figure and felt his knees go weak seeing a long mess of blond hair. Triggering long and old memories of a dead man who sported the same color and thickness.

"Hopeless as ever, Sasuke..."

The figure muttered a couple words, and the fine hairs on his neck stood on edge. For the first time in year's, Sasuke found himself incapable of drawing in a breath.

"**Shinra**..."

Sasuke was brought to his knees as the air around him somehow became heavy and unbearable to be in.

"**Tensei**..."

* * *

**A/N: Why are so many people against me in removing Naruto's Rinne Tensei?! ;( He just CAN'T! Deal with it! If I told you, then there'd be spoilers, since it's a part of the main plot, which is why I've been trying to avoid any suggestion's on how to renew his lifespan; which isn't the full problem as to why he can no longer use it. Why he can't, you'll have to wait and see, for it's a major part of the main plot that will be revealed later on. (So please stop it already!) *Stomps away to sit and continue writing!* Btw, MERRY CHRISTMAS! It's a little late, I know. But better late then never right?! (P.S. sorry 'bout the cliffhanger Trololololol!) (P.S.S. I uploaded a new story, check it out if you want, (I believe it has potential) leave a review if you like it!)**


	9. Chapter 9: Surreal power

*_**SFX**_*

"_Radio speech_."

"**Jutsu's**."

"HUMAN SCREAMS."

"Human speech."

'_Human thoughts_.'

"**BIJUU SCREAMS**."

"**Bijuu speech**."

"_**Bijuu thoughts**_."

* * *

"**Shinra**..."

Sasuke was brought to his knees as the air around him somehow became hard and unbearable to be in.

"**Tensei**..."

The wind whistled, the sand bristled, the air withdrew, and the world was overcome by a monstrous oppression of purple flame-like chakra that extended over Naruto's arm. The combination of his chakra and the execution of the Jutsu easily dwarfed any other chakra signature over a hundred mile radius, the spinning sky's above Toshiro disappeared to let pass its enormous counterpart. As if bowing in respects to the power that brought people together, lands into a single nation, and power into a new border of god-like measure; only trespassed by the being in question.

The Kage's watched in awe as the responding surroundings stopped all movement, as if time itself came to a halt just to witness the extent of a power no human being should be worthy or capable of wielding over their mortal minds. Ulqiorra himself had his mouth agape as he inspected the mysterious warrior holding reality itself still, how the sand atoms in front of his eyes balanced themselves in thin air like a weightless object. How the terrain seemed in tune to see the result of this sudden halt and combination of energies never before witnessed on the face of the earth. Up to the point to which had him wondering if what he was witnessing was real in in the first place.

Sasuke was too close to the source of this great power, in turn it constricted his movements limited. As he lay sitting on his heels, and looked up at who undoubtedly was the blond boy he once knew, the one he considered a brother until he betrayed his trust and friendship by shoving a **Chidori** through his chest, the one bent on going through hell and back just to get him back to his senses. Wondering if he should be crying in joy, or reprimand him for making them think he was dead in the first place.

On the other hand, he could not believe that the man in front of him held the power of something an Uchiha would only wish to have. For that technique was reserved only for the all powerful Rinnegan, and it was exactly what his Sharingan was telling him he possessed. For his aura was similar to the one they called Pain, but the aura of the former Rinnegan wielder was nowhere near the size the one surrounding Naruto. For he could clearly see it going a sixth of the way towards the clouds, which resulted in five times the size of Toshiro's own.

Naruto released, and the wave of gravitational push that aroused from his right hand disintegrated the sand flowing in front of him like it was a gas. The wave persisted and met the Jinchuuriki's fists with immense force, causing the chakra around their fists to waver in and out of existence as the wave advanced with no sign of stopping. Naruto narrowed his eyes at Toshiro, and the latter nodded understanding. Toshiro jumped high into the air and landed behind Naruto's left side with the utmost agility and elegance, his sword sheathed and his Shikai seal back in place.

The whistling of Naruto's **Shinra Tensei** continued and the Jinchuuriki's kept skidding over the sand like they were spare shrapnel from a much more aggressive explosion. "Hmph!" Ulqiorra scoffed and brought his blade down once the wave of gravity reached him, whiles the Jinchuuriki's literally flew by his side like ragged doll's. For a moment, he held his ground but quickly noticed the futile attempt. "This... is... IMPOSSIBLE!" He was easily overcome by the wave of pure power and was launched back along with the Jinchuuriki's, unable to admit that a simple Jutsu like this could overpower _him_ in such a state.

Ulqiorra stabbed his blade down in the sand without holding any of his strength back and was able come to an abrupt end in his unwanted flight. Several time's he tried to overpower the malicious feel that came with the natural push of the Jutsu that he had never seen before. But every time he tried to fight back, it was like trying to stop the earths natural rotation. The inexplicable power, the feeling of inferiority, the feeling of dread and vulnerability. It reminded him of his past self.

It sickened him.

When he was young, he was nobody. He roamed the street's of Kiri like a wild cat in search of anything to survive, he sought peace and care for all, and would never hurt those that did not harm him. But as time passed and his naive sight of the world matured to see the cruel reality, he wanted nothing to do with it. 'Why bother...?' He thought, why bother with a world so selfish and cold. Void of love and unprecedented hate for the other. Power... power was what kept it all in balance. Power was what drew those into the right way; the only way.

So when he was presented with the opportunity to become one of the Legendary Swordsmen of the Mist, how could he ever hope to decline? His chakra was extravagant and thick, like no others in the test's for the perfect candidates. From five year's old he killed, from nine year's old he tortured, and from twelve he was forced to rape a sixteen year old girl that had stolen from a merchant. To grow up, they had said. The cruel reality of life in the Village Hidden in the Mist. By the ending point of the Bloodline Purges, he had killed ten's of thousand's, tortured thousand's, and raped hundred's.

To grow up, they said.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He wanted power, and he sought more.

But in exchange of what?

Exactly where did his innocence disappear to?

Did he ever have one in the first place?

He couldn't remember, he didn't _want_ to remember.

Aizen, he saved him from that hell. The day he left the Seven Swordsmen, was the day he and the rest of the candidate Swordsmen became the Espada. The liberators of the land, no matter the means. He sold his soul to the devil for more power, for _more;_ and he would never regret it. There was no point.

Ulqiorra took his Zanpakuto out of the sand with relative ease and held it in his right hand. He pointed it towards the direction Naruto and Toshiro were staring back, willing to die if it meant he could finish off whoever this bastard was. "Enclose,"

"Kage-sama!" Toshiro warned, intent on rushing Ulqiorra.

"No." Naruto intervened, shaking his head to not interfere.

"Murciela-"

"Enough." A tall man stopped Ulqiorra's final release by firmly grasping his wrist in a more then commanding form. Ulqiorra's piercing gaze snapped to his right and was met with the eyes of his master and saviour, Sōsuke Aizen. Ulqiorra, begrudgingly softened his hold on his Zanpakuto, to which even Aizen was surprised he did it in such a reluctant way; it was interesting to see him so flustered and showing emotion. "Aizen-sama, I request you let me handle these pests."

"Denied." Aizen replied sternly, his facial expression showing no desire for opposition. Ulqiorra grit his teeth and tightened his fists, but stood down by taking a step behind Aizen, roughly sheathing his Zanpakuto while at it. "You must calm yourself, Ulqiorra." Aizen advised. It was a first seeing the emotionless of them all so flustered, so bloodthirsty that the veins on his arms were trembling by the desire to tear them apart. To beat them within an inch of their life and finish them off without mercy. These knew opponents would certainly be trouble, especially the blond in the middle. "Hello, my name is Sōsuke Aizen. The First of Seven Espada. It is a pleasure to deal with your acquaintance."

Toshiro felt like a burning moss fire seeing Aizen bow to his Lord in a fashion that seemed almost mocking; with his left arm behind him and his right arm over his esophagus. It really irked him to stab his Hyōrinmaru through the mans throat. However, he was taken aback when his Lord imitated the mans bow exactly the same way. "Likewise. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, Shodaime Kage of the Land of the Six Paths. I've heard alot about you from my Swordsmen, Aizen-san."

"Kage-sama!" Ichigo landed to Naruto's right in the same fashion Naruto arrived in the battlefield, his appearance demanding respect and humility for his Lord. Shunsui landed right next to Ichigo, as did Kenpachi next to Shunsui. Byakuya landed next to Toshiro, Urahara landed next to Byakuya, and finally, Yoruichi landed next to Urahara, her impeding figure as exquisite as ever. The Seven Swordsmen of Uzumaki Naruto came together in the battlefield to stand guard by him like the pillars that sustained his dominance over the whole world. "Aizen..."

"My, my... if it isn't my old friends, the Seven Swordsmen. How appropriate of you all being here at such a crucial time for this war." Aizen chuckled dryly and the Swordsmen tensed. "But do not get ahead of yourselves, I did not come alone either..." As the words left his mouth, in a rumbling sound of a miniature sonic boom, the Second of Seven Espada, Gin Ichimaru. The Third of Seven Espada, Kaname Tōsen. The Fifth of Seven Espada, who was there before all, Ulqiorra Cifer. The Sixth of Seven Espada, Nnoitra Gilga. The Seventh of Seven Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

All of Aizen's men surrounded him, their white clothing branding them as the Espada that fought for what they thought was right. Their abilities and power suppressed by the Zanpakuto strapped to their sides, but the pressure around their surreal power being felt like an impeding time bomb that would go off at any given moment. The very vision of them bended anybody's line of sight like it was a distant mirage of unreal power, capable of twisting the space and terrain in which they stood on by their sheer presence.

"What do you intend to do, Aizen." Ichigo asked with a calculated amount of threat in his tone, ready for anything they brought to the table. "We have you outnumbered and outclassed. If you expect us to leave you in your merry way, your more naive then what your fathom ideology brings to the world." Ichigo placed a strong grip on the largest of his two blade's strapped to his back and glared at the Espada like the nemesis they were.

"Please," Aizen raised a calm hand and tilted his head to the side. "You underestimate me, Kurosaki Ichigo. You know well I am much more then a buffoon of great strength; unlike you I might add." Aizen's constant smile grew further as Ichigo frowned in his direction. "As you can see, my Fourth of Seven Espada is not present here. And that would be because he is currently, _watching_ over your men a few miles from here. With order's to terminate every single one of them, should a battle ensue here."

Ichigo took a step forward. "You basta-"

"Ichigo, enough." Naruto ordered, both his hands shoved in his pocket nonchalantly. "Tell me, Aizen-san," Naruto began his trek to meet the Espada leader in the middle of the desert, while the latter copied the Kage of the Land of Six Paths. Naruto's Swordsmen followed, and so did Aizen's Espada, intent on keeping their leader's safe if anything were to go down. "Exactly what are you planning?" Naruto asked, his pace showing no real concern in the outside. His Swordsmen loyally walking behind him. The desert area giving off an air of two enemies about to have a duel to the death.

Aizen kept walking, his white coat overcome by the constant waving of the hot air in the atmosphere. His appearance cool and the tips of his hair meeting his forehead every time the air decided it needed to enhance the mans handsome features. "If you must know, Naruto-san. Our plan's are to take over the world and place it under a single banner. That is the only way to commend peace in a world torn by war. To do that we will need what is inside of you."

"That isn't true peace; its elitist." Naruto responded, his own black coat unable to stay immobilized by the winds assaulting it, his blond locks of hair stable but rustic with every air molecule coming in contact with it. "You plan to use strength to try and bring all those below you, oppress every nation into your own twisted way of peace."

"Then tell me," Aizen added. "What other form of peace is there in which the people will listen willingly? As far as I see it, people will never understand each other like proper human beings."

"You never know until you try, _Aizen_." Naruto persisted. His own country being a good example of that.

Tōsen disappeared from sight, his destination Naruto's throat, Kenpachi immediately followed. Both appeared in the middle of both group's, both with the point of each other's blade's to the other's throat, with a small trickle of blood flowing down the steel like a steady newborn stream. "Where the hell ya think you goin' Tōsen? Don't think you'll be gettin' to the Kage any time soon shit for brains."

Tōsen scoffed dryly. "That man disrespected Aizen-sama, he must be dealt with." Tōsen pressed forward on Kenpachi's throat, however the latter copied and both remained immobile from their mortal positions.

"Over ma' dead body. The asshole over there's the one comin' here looking for trouble, so back the fuck off." Kenpachi's bloodthirsty grin commenced spreading Killer Intent amongst them almost immediately. Their blades separated from each other's throat's and retook their positions behind their leader's.

Aizen merely smiled, the Swordsmen tensed once more. The Espada slightly increased their Killer Intent, with the bloodthirsty ones showcasing a grin for suspense. As did the Swordsmen, but refrained from showing any emotion whatsoever. The sense of grief and oppression spread itself around the sand dunes like a physical coating of the fabric itself, whiles Naruto and Aizen merely stared back at each other in a challenging manner. Daring the other to make a move. The Killer Intent turned into something else however, when Naruto himself started leaking his own chakra into the equation.

'What the hell...?' Grimmjow thought.

'Holy shit...' Nnoitra mused unbelieving.

'Impossible...' Gin denied flabbergasted.

Naruto's Rinnegan eyes glowered as the wind started picking up and his chakra took on a life of its own, turning from a steady stream into a fiery ensnaring of purple flames around his body. Like he was suddenly set aflame while covered by the liquid that allowed his people's machine's to fly. The Swordsmen observed wearily, while most of the Espada took a step back, overwhelmed by the sheer force pushing their own bodies like a repellent against small insects.

A steady flowing of lightning danced around Naruto's legendary eyes, and the world seemed to distort around him in an inexplicable fashion. Something completely alien to the Swordsmen and the Espada alike. The Swordsmen were starting to get worried when the pressure on them seemed to keep rising in a steadily inclining rate, with no sign's of stopping anytime soon. Naruto however released his grasp on the power and concentrated Killer Intent and allowed himself to calm the surrounding auras until they slowly disappeared. "I hope you tell Madara I'll be seeing him soon."

The Swordsmen felt a great sense of relief seeing Naruto lower his own power and start walking back towards Sasuke and the rest of the Kage's like he hadn't just unleashed a massive amount of power. The Swordsmen turned on their heels and began accompanying their Lord back to his duty's.

"It will be my pleasure." Aizen turned and started making his way back to his land. Who would of known he'd be proven right that there was a missing player in this magnificent game of chess. Even for him, he astounded himself by his intellect. The shallow attempts to counterattack by Konoha, the Kage's in one place, the slowly declining rate of their attempts to fight back, and the way they avoided to confront their troops head first. All of these were signs of a plan, and he stood correct once more. They were searching for outside help. And by the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no less.

"Why didn't we attack, Aizen-sama? It was the perfect opportunity with all of us together." Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez asked by sheer curiosity.

Aizen shook his head; how naive. "Don't be so rash, Grimmjow. This is a game of mind's, and brute strength will get you nowhere. The Jinchuuriki sees this as well, which is why I had the upper hand by sending Starrk after his troops... at least this time. Had we started an all out fight, we would be outnumbered and outclassed. And while we would surely kill all of the Kage's, we would come out heavily downsized as well." Aizen explained, his mind already making various scenarios where he could take advantage of Naruto's weakness.

Yes he outsmarted him this time, but never did he consider it to be easy in doing so again. He caught him off guard this time, but next time the blond would take precautions. A new 'king' entered this game, but from what he sensed of his strength, it would be safe to assume his attack power was mixed with a 'queen'. Or even more.

Now it was time to hunt down the Jinchuuriki's Naruto sent flying over the sand dunes.

* * *

Sasuke could see, no, _feel_ Naruto's power from the distance separating them. His aura was magnificent, and the way those Swordsmen who were surely comrade's of that Toshiro guy surrounded the blond; made it clear that he was the leader. Meaning _he_ was the Rikudou Sennin. _H__e_ was the leader of the rumored planet in the atmosphere. _He_ was wielding the Rinnegan. The most powerful of Dojutsu's, even more powerful then his own. It was too much for the once rogue Uchiha, there was so much he wanted to know.

"Uchiha, former Hokage, Tsuchikage, Raikage, Gaara. I'm sure you all know who I am, so there's no need for introductions. As you might of guessed," Naruto began as he stopped right in front of them, his Swordsmen all in a horizontal line behind him. "I am the Rikudou Sennin, and leader of the Land of the Six Paths, Kage of the Village Hidden in the Planet." Naruto announced melodramatically, his eyes cold and unforgiving. His appearance showing power and dexterity.

The Kage's, and especially Sasuke and Tsunade could only watch in astonishment how the blond simply addressed them like they were stranger's he met in the street and dismissed them without even asking their names. Tsunade wanted to hug him, her tear filled eyes said as much. While Sasuke wanted to, ironically, shove a **Chidori** through his chest for acting in such a way.

Tsunade ruled up her resolve and took a step forward. "Naruto, how are you...?"

Naruto turned to Tsunade and gave her a flat look that told her he didn't want _anything_ to do with the conversation she was about to initiate. "This is no time for sentimentaly, Tsunade." Naruto stated in a monotone voice. There were many mixed feelings in Naruto. While he was happy that they were in front of him at the moment, the feeling of resentment over having Sasuke somehow back in the Leaf, and Tsunade's incapability to do anything for him back _then_ was still creeping around in his heart. He knew it was selfish to think this way, but he couldn't help it. Not when he suffered as much as he did.

On the other hand, this was business, and he would treat it as such.

"I advise we head to Suna for our negotiations. But before that, we need to make a quick stop a few miles from here. Byakuya." Naruto ordered.

"Hai, Kage-sama." The head of the Kuchiki clan raised his right arm towards the sky and allowed himself a small consumption of the natural heating the country provided. He summoned the Wind Release chakra that naturally flowed through his veins like a simple draw of breath. The air around his arm swirled around it like a beautiful dancer around a smooth stage, and immediately concentrated all the air on the palm of his hand. The large wind ball shrieked and whistled as Byakuya launched the ball towards the sky until it became invisible to all those around him.

Sasuke and the Kage's were bewildered by this, but refrained from asking questions, not wanting to sound ignorant to these advanced shinobi. At first nothing happened, the ball of compressed air seemed to be for no purpose whatsoever. However, after thirty seconds something became visible in the blue sky. Like a distortion in the air that made light and the very vision of those staring into it spin, further confusing the Kage's.

After a minute or so nothing occurred, but after a while some sort of machinery started descending upon them from the very sky. The three vehicle's came into view, with a completely black one in the front, and two green one's escorting the latter. The non-local shinobi from the Land of the Six Paths watched in wonder how these 'thing's' were somehow capable of flight. For the first time awakening their natural human curiosity on how such a feat was possible.

The three landed a little ways off and Naruto started making his way towards the machine's, the Swordsmen in tow. "Keep your head's down if you can't handle it!" The Kage's and the Uchiha heard Naruto scream over the whistling of the rotor. The Kage's didn't want to embarrass themselves or offend the man in any way so they followed loyally without question.

The Swordsmen themselves stopped in front of the entrance to the black heli in a double line facing each other. They bowed and Naruto made his way through the middle of them with Ichigo opening the doorway, as was his duty. Naruto sat inside the Huey with his legs crossed in a much too feminine fashion, but demonstrated nothing but power and control at the same time. All the Swordsmen flickered away to get inside their own vehicle's, except Ichigo who was in charge of Naruto himself.

Without question and begrudgingly little fear, Sasuke and the Kage's adjusted themselves in the cramped space. However when Sasuke tried to sit next to Naruto, Ichigo quickly intervened by shaking his head. Sasuke got the hint and went around the contraption without a single thought of it to sit with the Kage's. Ichigo stepped inside and sat next to Naruto, who couldn't help but smirk at Ichigo; sitting next to him wasn't a necessary regulation. Comes to show that even his Swordsmen were not happy with helping out the people that hurt him.

"Let's go." Ichigo ordered the Royal Pilot's in charge of driving the Kage's heli, his voice sounding bored through the radio waves. Ichigo closed the doorway and sunk back into his seat, the arms crossed over his chest imitating Naruto's own. Both were much like the other, but neither much cared to be in a war that both considered unnecessary. However neither were stupid. Both knew that if they didn't act now, it could later reach their own home.

"You didn't have to sit next to me, Ichigo. I can handle being with these people." Naruto's voice came to life through the radio connecting the Seven Swordsmen in general. "If anything, I'm surprised; going as far as giving Sasuke a silent but dangerous threat."

"Shut it," Ichigo uttered. "I don't like these bastards, and I can tell you have something against them. It's better to lay off from getting you alone at the moment. I know well of your lack of patience when in these type of situations; I don't want you making a mistake you'll later regret."

"Hoooo... so he even sat next to ya huh...?" Kenpachi hummed, the grin on his lips practically sparkling though the frequency. "I didn't know you were his babysitter Ichigo. Maybe these times of war've already softened ya ta' some extent huh...?"

"Please stop using this line to fool around..." Toshiro sighed for effect. "This is a private line only meant for Kage-sama to send out order's. Kenpachi-Taicho, please stop it. Kurosaki-Taicho, grow up."

Ichigo grumbled but kept his hand away from the send button on the earpiece planted on his right ear. "Aww... that is shooo cute Ichigo. Maybe you can hold his hand while he gets off the heli next time to huh...? Or would you like to act as _my_ babysitter too...?" Yoruichi added with her own twisted teasing.

"Eeeeehh, but Yoruichi-saaaan," Urahara whined. "You promised me that game was only reserved for me when we're alone in your ro-ow! Kidding kidding!"

Naruto chuckled and smiled as he gave Ichigo a thankful nod. This was no time to meddle with buried pains, there would be time for that later, when they were done with this raid. He knew Ichigo was trying to protect him, and he was thankful. But even the Seven Swordsmen were incapable of stopping the inevitable arguments with the Rookies and Tsunade.

* * *

"I asked you a question. Who are you?" Hinata asked dangerously low, her right hand heading for the handle of the Tantō strapped to her back. These stranger's were odd, and very suspicious. While her rational mind was trying to tell her to stand down, her gut was warning her to press forward with these men.

"Please," Eagle raised his hand's and demonstrated he was no threat to them, which noticeably helped in calming down the group. Except the female ANBU wearing a white bird mask in front of him, she really looked like a tigress about to pounce on her prey. "I mean no harm. However, I cannot tell you who I am yet, those were my order's. Knowing that I am not an enemy should suffice."

"Not me," Hinata unsheathed her blade and charged first, despite the protests of the Rookies who looked undecided of what to do. She swinged her blade over Eagle's head and the latter bent back to fully avoid the sharp end of it elegantly. Again he dodged by taking a step back as she tried to stab him through the chest with both hands placed on the handle.

Eagle was impressed. For whatever reason that this woman was attacking him. Either to test herself against a powerful opponent, or her real doubt of trusting him; she had the potential to move much more fluently, since he could tell she was exhausted. As she was now however, she stood no chance against him. "Hold your ground." Eagle ordered through the radio, wanting to handle this personally.

His men, who did not move from their line remained firm and rooted to their places, their hand's grasped behind them. Interfere? They thought, almost laughing. What for? There was no way their leader could possibly lose against such a tired looking opponent. Especially since they were very familiar with the man's capabilities.

Eagle watched as the girl fully turned her feminine body and swiftly brought her blade horizontally to try and slice his chest. Eagle would have none of that though. The man used his left heel to kick her right wrist with enough strength to force her to let go of the blade with relative ease. He followed up with his right foot and connected it to her mask, shattering it like glass in mere seconds.

Hinata's gorgeous and stunned face was revealed and Eagle took this moment of freezing surprise to his advantage. The leader of his DEMOLITION team unsheathed his blade with his left hand and held it reversed grip. He disappeared from Hinata's all seeing Byakugan eyes and appeared behind her with his blade pressed against her smooth neck. The world seemed to grow silent for a second as the action's of this man settled in.

Eagle would admit that he had never seen such a bestowed beauty in his life. However his wife was an exception of course; no woman was as beautiful as her. This woman though, gave an air of a rare cold beauty born once every few hundred year's, a delicate flower that smelled of lavender and cinnamon; a true delicacy. If anything, he felt horrible for trying to break the subtle air of beauty that naturally surrounded her by pressing his blade against the fragile skin on her neck. But he considered it a necessity; she was wild as she was beautiful.

"Now you see; had I been an enemy, you would be dead. Please hold yourself back, the true enemy is upon us..." Eagle withheld the need to sigh; he was wearing his mask after all. He knew no emotion at the moment. The man removed his blade and sheathed it once more, while Hinata did her best to remain emotionless as she went to pick up her own.

Back with the Rookies, which consisted of Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Lee, Tenten, Neji, Sakura and Kiba watched as Hinata was undoubtedly outclassed by a shinobi which was yet to be identified. "That was, interesting..." Kiba spoke offhand.

"Interesting?" Shikamaru spoke. "Hinata's one of the strongest of us all, and she was owned by this guy like a Genin trying to fight a Jonin." Shikamaru was smart, simply put. On much more thorough terms however, he was considered a genius even amongs the Nara clan infamous for providing such. His IQ was off the charts, but his lazy attitude held him back from the potential that he so dearly knew he had. His father had told him various times that had he been active as he was smart, Konoha would come into a new age of technological advances. When Shikamaru asked his father why _he_ didn't try, he responded it to be to troublesome.

"Hinata-sama was much too rash." Neji observed.

"Rash?" Tenten deadpanned. "She practically jumped on him like a puppy having her master returning through the door after a long day."

"You are quite incorrect, Tenten." Lee intervened. "I believe Hinata-san was trying to prove herself and fight an opponent like the youthful fiend she is! YOSH! Well done Hinata-san! You inspired my drained flames of youth to reach for higher levels!"

"Chill Lee." Ino suggested. "If you somehow get more 'youthfulness' in ya, well see you as a baby trying to climb up a tree."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Tenten inquired.

"May I have your attention please." Eagle interrupted, they were _really_ getting off topic here. "_This is Eagle. Status, Boar, Rave_."

"_This is Boar_." Came the immediate answer into Eagle's ear. "_Schedule is progressing fondly, however I advise we take precaution. We're sensing unwanted hostility from an unknown source, probable VIP of higher status in the dark_."

"_This is Rave._" The radio came crackling once more. "_Boar is correct, on right flank I sense a great disturbance. Don't know what the hell it is, but it's undoubtedly Swordsmen level. Orders_?"

"_Understood, keep as advised. VIP will remain hidden unless sought out after. Otherwise, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Understood_?" Eagle requested.

"_Copy_." Boar affirmed.

"_Copy_." Rave repeated.

That was definitely not good. A shinobi like that could not be fought head on, at least not with their numbers. Eagle suppressed an annoyed groan. He knew nothing ever went as planned, but even this was overdoing it by alot. "All of you, scatter." Immediately, all of his men disappeared from sight. "Now then, as you know, there's a certain amount of enemy shinobi hea-" Eagle froze as a cold chill ran down his body, he snapped his head towards the direction where a massive amount of power was being released.

Eagle sensed the Third of Seven Swordsmens power, but that was a few minutes ago already, and the shinobi in front of him didn't react much too it. Apparently they thought it was their Kage's and the Jinchuuriki's starting to fight. However this... it was incomparable to the Third of Seven, this was on a whole other level of an oppressing feeling. In the distance he could see how the cold storm clouds of the Third of Seven were dispersed by a purple colored aura.

It was miles away, yet it could be seen and felt like it was right in front of them. If he had to guess, then it had to be the power of his Kage. There's no way any other living being could posses such a surge of power, not when he could feel his left hand trembling ever so slightly. His gaze went for his temporary comrade's and saw that they were shivering, like the desert air had become as cold as the mountains of Osaka during winter. The Rookies looked unnerved and visibly struggling to stand unmoved by the excess in bloodlust in the atmosphere.

As the wave kept washing over them like a thick sheet of frozen air, Eagle tried to remain uprooted and held back the need to cower behind the powerful Killer intent quite easily. But couldn't say the same for the shinobi that were behind the Rookies. Most looked like ready to give up and surrender without even letting the fight begin, but seemed to be gaining courage from the Rookies. They were all good leader's, he could tell just by the way they inspired their own men.

Finally, after what seemed like hour's of tortures suppression, the wave ceased and they all regained the ability to think logically. Like a feeling of liberation washed all over them, even feeling much lighter then before by the release in weight on their minds. "Alright, looks like Kage-sama has given me permission to continue and tell you who we are." Eagle informed, his voice lacking any substance like usual. "We are shinobi sent by the Kage of the Land of the Six Paths. And as such, we were ordered to terminate five companies of Kumo shinobi heading this way."

"Wait, that was your Kage?!" Kiba asked in fear. "Who the hell is he?! I've never felt such an overwhelming amount of power!"

"Yeah," Sakura rubbed her arms in an attempt to try and decrease the goosebumps overtaking them. "It was like a frozen second skin suddenly attaching itself over my body."

Hinata was speechless. Not able to comprehend how so much power could source from a single being. After Naruto's death, she had trained like never before and sought after the hidden potential deep inside her. After much hassle she awakened it and came to understand the extent of her abilities, and were considered more then impressive by the Leaf Village. But here came a shinobi out of nowhere and defeated her with so much as little effort. Then a minute after a mind-boggling source of power becomes apparent in the distance, something completely undermining the logic in which her brain processes combat level.

Something was for certain, she _had_ to meet this 'Kage' face to face. Someone so strong could help her gain even more power, and that was one thing in which she would do anything for. "I want to meet this Kage of yours, Eagle-san."

Eagle inspected the girl carefully and nodded in response. "In due time." Eagle turned towards the incoming troops that were starting to outline themselves in the distance. Hundred's of Kumo shinobi were storming down a big sand dune the size of a small mountain, like small ants they trekked downwards running. Perfect, all according to plan. He was impressed how powerful Boar and Rave's Genjutsu was to guide them over the mountain of sand he specifically indicated in the Full Moon tactic.

"_Boar, Rave. Do it_." Eagle watched in satisfaction as the top of the sand mountain was blown right off in a circular explosion. Super Explosive Tag's meant to go off like a chain reaction, in effect the sand dune came down like a miniature avalanche over all the shinobi in view. "Come on let's move!" Eagle immediately started running to check on the results of the tactic his men were already familiar with. If he was lucky, their number's were roughly sliced to a quarter of what they originally were.

"Holy shit."

"No way..."

"Incredible..."

"_Impossible_..."

"Who are these guys...?"

The shinobi behind him picked their jaws up from the sand and began running behind Eagle without question. It was fascinating how this 'Eagle' guy was capable of eradicating five companies of shinobi like they were nothing, by using first class tactics instead of head first attacks. But they knew well there were bound to be _some_ survivors from the avalanche. They would have to slice their necks open before they regained their bearings.

Quickly reaching the area a few things became apparent. For one, thirty of Eagle's men were there with various bodies at their feet. Secondly, the stench of blood roamed the senses of them all, and the foul taste of iron somehow started dancing about in their taste bud's. "Form." Eagle muttered, and his men instantaneously formed a line facing them all. "Report."

"Sir," Boar and Rave stepped up from the middle of the line. "Full Moon went as planned. A few survivors dug their way up and were dealt with. Mission complete." Boar finished, his cool voice lacking any hint of emotion.

Something was roaming around the minds of every shinobi that wasn't from the Land of the Six Paths at the moment; fear. Very powerful and unending fear. What these shinobi pulled off was nothing short of amazing and genius tactical warfare, and it would take weeks of planning ahead to pull off. But as they demonstrated, it took but a few minutes of observing the terrain in which they were in to come up with a strategy. A single strategy to destroy a greater force of enemies by sheer brilliance. Just who the hell were these people? But more importantly, who was their _leader_?

"Well shit... Aizen-sama ain't gunna be happy about this." All heads turned to a voice coming from a small sand dune towards their right flank. There sat a lazy looking man with bored eyes wearing white clothing and a sword strapped to his side. While his appearance said he was lazy and laid back, his aura demonstrated that he was definitely someone with immense power. "Hi y'all... name's Coyote Starrk, Fourth of Seven Espada." The man waved and stood back up to his full stature.

"Shit...!" Eagle cursed and unsheathed his katana, his men quickly followed his example and stood around him, their respective stances in place. He didn't even _sense_ him. "Coyote Starrk huh...? You're in our record's as a freighting enemy, Starrk. What is your purpose here?" Eagle asked carefully. Hopeful that it wasn't to kill them, because if that was the case, things could turn complicated.

"Well..." Starrk swung his body from side to side and did a few stretches to return mobility to his stoic limbs. "I'm supposed to kill you all... I _think_... I'm not even sure, but I think that's my reason to being here." Starrk answered scratching the back of his head, his eyes closed just for the hell of being lazy. "Now then. Let's begin shall we...?"

"Sir." Boar advised.

"I know." Eagle responded. There was no need to say it, he could practically taste the power oozing off this man. "All of you stay back, that's an order. Rookies," He locked gazes with them all, but lingered more with Shikamaru. "I need your assistance please, the rest of you, stay put. Boar, Rave, keep close to me." His men stood back without question and the Rookies went to stand beside Eagle and his two men.

If he played it this way, Eagle knew casualties would decrease, but so would the chances of not getting killed themselves. Attacking altogether would be a foolish mistake against a shinobi that was a walking time bomb of power. If they went in and out strategically, then the odds would be much more on their side. But even then, if he released his seal then the fight was over. With the amount of shinobi he handpicked, they were enough to overwhelm him, but not enough to throw away and get killed like fodder.

"Don't take any unnecessary risks. Stay behind me and my men, and whatever you do stay away from his front side." Eagle stated adjusting his grip on the handle of his blade. Nervous being an understatement of what he felt; this was his first time fighting seriously against a shinobi of the same caliber as his Taicho. A nervous breakdown would be expected. Fortunately, he was a member of the DEMOLITION Division; suppressing emotion is what they did best.

"Understood." Sakura responded. Who knew things would end like this. One day she and the Rookies were in Suna doing what was needed of them, then the next they receive an anonymous tip about five companies and six Jinchuuriki's on their way towards Sasuke and the Kage's. Naturally, they immediately departed and kept running for two days straight to get there and help in any way they could. That was probably the reason Hinata was beaten by this Eagle guy so easily, she was exhausted like all of them. Still, it took great skill for him to defeat her even in her current state.

Starrk smirked, this aught to be interesting. "Come, show me." Eagle immediately disappeared from sight to appear over Starrk with his blade reeled back. Eagle brought it down onto Starrk's head. Unsurprisingly, the latter caught the blade with his left opened hand like it was a wooden stick; it was expected by Eagle. But the group of shinobi behind him were caught completely off guard. "It'll take more then that to break through my **Hierro**, Eagle-san."

"Bullshit..." Kiba muttered, his eyes wide in astonishment by how easily the man caught a sharp blade in his hand.

"H-how is that even possible...?" Choji asked nobody in particular.

Starrk pulled the sword and sparks resulted by the grinding of his **Hierro** coated hand and Eagle's blade, effectively pulling Eagle along with it. Starrk followed up with a hard fist to Eagle's sternum with immense power behind it, enough to launch Eagle back and slide his feet over the surface of the sand like he was constantly being pushed back. Eagle stopped right in front of his men and gently rubbed the area where Starrk's fist connected. That hurt like hell.

"You're pretty fast," Starrk began. "But, it takes more then speed to cut through my **Hierro** with a normal katana. Wha-?!" He couldn't move. Starrk was barely able to glance down and see that a shadow was connected to his own. So that was why.

"**Kagemane No Jutsu**, success." (**Shadow Imitation Technique**) Shikamaru stood in the middle of the Rookies with his signature seal, a smirk decorating his sweaty features. Like many say, great mind's think alike, and that was exactly how Eagle and Shikamaru worked like a team meant to work as one. Shikamaru noticed that lingering gaze when Eagle called for their assistance, how he specifically looked into his eyes through that mask of his. Then it clicked, the man probably knew everything there was to know about him and the Rookies; they were meant to round up with them after all.

Shikamaru would go as far as to guess that the anonymous tip of the five companies and six Jinchuuriki's heading Sasuke's way was somehow planted by them. But why? Who was this Kage? Those were questions that had yet to get answered, but for now, he would admire the way Eagle made him see his plan by a simple connection of their gazes.

"Ingenious." Starrk suddenly spoke. "You used yourself as a decoy and bridge to help the Nara clan member extend his Jutsu by connecting it to your shadow. After which it connected to mine the moment I stopped your sword with my hand. Truly impressive. Only a couple of geniuses could pull such a stunt without the need to say it out loud. I'd expect nothing less from shinobi like yourselves. But how long do you expect this Jutsu to keep me unmoved? You don't honestly expect it to keep someone like me rooted for long, right?"

"Tch," Shikamaru sucked his teeth and struggled to keep the Espada in place. This guy was able to figure out every detail of their secret plan with just a few minutes of analyzing it; he had a truly dangerous mind. "You're quite the analyzer. Yeah, it's not meant to hold you for long. Go guys!"

"Yeah!" The Rookies chorused, Eagle and his two men immediately took action towards Starrk. They ran towards him at top speed, with Eagle in the front and center, their footsteps not being slowed even by the soft sand in which they ran upon. The heat in the atmosphere nonexistent as the adrenaline flowing through their veins negated the natural response of heat in their body.

Starrk smiled, he knew this would be interesting.

Eagle's eyes widened and his blood ran cold feeling an accumulating pressure on the chest of the Espada in front of them, a giant amount of chakra was being concentrated on one spot.

Starrk smiled wider as they came in range. "**Cero**..."

"STOP! BOAR, RAVE! BOTH OF YOU! FORMATION **RASHŌMON** IMMEDIATELY! DON'T HOLD ANYTHING BACK!" Eagle shouted out order's, panic clear for the first time in his voice.

Boar and Rave took a small jump away from Eagle and bit their thumb's to slam them on the ground, causing seal markings to appear all over the sand. Eagle did the same and all three used whatever chakra to summon their Jutsu. "**KUCHIYOSE: SANJŪ RASHŌMON**!" (**Summoning: Triple Rashōmon**) The moment the words left their lips, three massive gates appeared in front of them, totalling in a total of nine **Rashōmon** gates side by side to hopefully stop the incoming attack.

Starrk fired his **Cero** from his chest, the concentration of his chakra that created a blue beam of super condensed chakra, much like a **Bijuu Bomb**. It skewered through the wind, lifting a cloud of dust in the process, coloring the sand below it a faint blue as it traveled over it and towards its target at an unbelievable speed.

*_**BOOOOOOOM**_!*

The beam met the three pairs of **Rashōmon** gates and exploded into a relucent detonation of energy meeting an opposing force at full power. The gates were immediately destroyed and the **Cero** disappeared from sight at the connection of the marvelous explosion that ensued. The heat became unbearable, and the source of the explosion disappeared all nine **Rashōmon** gates like they were never there in the first place.

Eagle was panting, on all fours, and his mask was chipped on various parts of it. But thankfully, they survived the explosion thanks to the combined efforts of his two most trusted men. Now if he could somehow get back on his feet.

"Sir!"

Eagle turned his head to the side and there stood Boar and Rave clutching their arms in a way that worried him; probably broken. Boar helped Eagle to his feet and the latter inspected his surroundings in a careful manner. However there wasn't much to see, since the world seemed to be shrouded in a thick cloud of dust. "Shit..." Eagle walked through the cloud of dust with his men behind him, heading towards the direction where he could sense the Rookies.

After much wandering about, he finally came to the location of the Rookies. They looked like shit. All of them were scraped in any exposed skin, their faces had blood flowing down them, and their Leaf shinobi attire, whether it be ANBU or normal was shredded. "Eagle-san, Boar-san, Rave-san, are you ok?" Hinata asked, her voice soft and delicate, the pain her body was experiencing yet to cease.

"We are fine." Eagle spoke for his men.

"What now?" Kiba asked pained. "I don't think that attack hurt that guy at all, especially since it was his own. Though I doubt he would of died, even if our attacks had connected."

Eagle tilted his head to the side, his men who were ordered to stay back immediately appearing behind him. The company of Leaf and Suna shinobi also came to join them all. "What are you talking about? Kill him?" Eagle asked, further confusing the Rookies, except Shikamaru.

"The purpose of everything we did was never to kill him." Shikamaru answered the unasked question. In the distance they could hear a strange sound, like a motor rotating and creating an opposing force to carry a heavier object. The cloud of dust was forcefully blown away by heavy winds, and soon it became visible what was responsible for such an occurrence. Three machines were flying overhead. One black, two green. "The goal was to buy time, and allow reinforcements to arrive..."

* * *

**A/N: I have a question for my awesome reviewers, would you prefer longer chapters (like this one) or shorter but more constant one's? If I get more reviews saying longer one's then I shall oblige, if not I will return to shorter one's. I love how many of my reviewers from my previous story are also here, you have no idea how honored I am to have you following my new story. I wholeheartedly thank you! Happy new year btw! :D (Question made: Ichigo has Zangetsu, while Naruto has TENSA Zangetsu) Fell in LOVE with Sword Art Online recently, sorry if updates are a few day's late. You guys ever watched that anime? Really should, It's freakin' awesome.**


	10. Chapter 10: Uzumaki Naruto!

*_**SFX**_*

"_Radio speech_."

"**Jutsu's**."

"HUMAN SCREAMS."

"Human speech."

'_Human thoughts_.'

"**BIJUU SCREAMS**."

"**Bijuu speech**."

"_**Bijuu thoughts**_."

* * *

Naruto grimaced, a noticed expression from Ichigo who quietly sat next to him. Right below them, just a few hundred feet below them, he could sense _her. _Hyuuga Hinata. "Shit..." He cursed. A foreboding feeling was crawling through his mind like a new born thought of reminiscence. That girl, she used to _love_ him, or so she passionately declared. He knew her nature back then. Kind, caring, loving and completely honest and incapable of lying even if she tried. She was a wonderful human being.

_Was_, he smiled benevolently. One thing his country was superb at was espionage, and of course he would keep tabs on her and the Rookies in general. However, there was only so much he could dig out from the occurrences in the Leaf. Like Sasuke somehow back in its ranks, but there was no need for infiltration to find that out, not when the answer was in plain sight. Desperation. The Shinobi Alliance was crippled, seeking for his aid was an obvious testament. They needed Sasuke, he was strong, his strength could prove invaluable to them.

Naruto knew Sasuke was strong, perhaps not exactly as strong as one of his Swordsmen, but strong nonetheless. He had more then strength however, something his Swordsmen strived to expose. Untapped _raw_ potential. More so that he could grow as strong as Shunsui, or maybe even Ichigo. Of course, his lack for admitting the want and need for the help of other's kept that potential locked away. And something he knew for certain about Uchiha Sasuke, was that he never admitted a weakness.

"Hinata..." Shit, her words were still fresh in his mind. How couldn't they? It wasn't everyday that the heiress of Konoha's most prestigious clan came saving his ass after getting impaled to the ground like a fish about to get skewered. Then proceed to confess the love she harbored for him knowing what was locked inside his gut. If anything, he was surprised she even talked to him; being her status as clan heiress.

Apparently, she didn't give a bird's fuck about social status, since she bluntly declared her love for him in front of Pain like she was giving the date. Naruto would be honest and say what she did was hot as hell; maybe he had a fetish for powerful women suddenly turning vulnerable. Either way, he found it to be quite cute in her part. That and she had some of the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen on such a harmless creature.

But...

She wasn't the same Hinata that he knew from back then, or so the thorough reports he got from the STEALTH Division informed. Hell it might be a whole different girl, or maybe he was making speculations out of his ass.

"_You look nervous_." Ichigo's subtle voice broke through his oppressing thoughts.

Naruto spared him a lazy glance and noticed the mans foreshadowing look at the door in front of them. That was interesting, he didn't even seem to be looking at him. Plus he used the private line only available between the First of Seven Swordsmen and the Kage himself. "_Obscured maybe, not nervous_-"

"_Bullshit_," Ichigo immediately countered. "_I know you better then any of the other Swordsmen, Naruto. We've gone through more then what we'd like to admit. I know when you're lying. You might be able to fool the entire world, but you can't fool me. So tell me, what's bothering you_?"

Naruto responded with a strained chuckle, amusement entering his reinforced crackle, a shadow of worry hidden within. Ichigo always knew when something was wrong with him; he found it refreshing but annoying at the same time. "_To be honest, I don't think I can keep my mask of superiority in front of all these past comrades. You know I don't trust them_."

"_And you know what I think of that_," Ichigo responded, frustration creeping into his masculine tone. "_If you keep babbling about conflicts without saturated truth to it, then there isn't any real fact to it. So why bother_?"

"_And I told you it's not that fucking simple_," the blond retorted, his annoyance starting to crack his mask of coolness. "_They could of been the one's aiming to kill me back then, Ichigo. Something THAT war taught me was to never let my guard down, and I was biased to think the Leaf would never attempt against me. Now look where I am_." Naruto observed waving his arm about suggestively.

"_You are really starting to sound like the kid I met all those year's ago_."

"_Well, shit Ichigo. I don't remember confessing being a sentimental klutz that forgave those who tried to blow me up after saving their asses from a psychopathic Rinnegan wielder who had a robust way of seeking peace_." Naruto reproached, feeling a great sense of accomplishment when the orange haired mans eyebrow twitched in obvious discomfort. Immediately, he knew he'd won. Ichigo 99, Naruto 101.

"_What about Hinata_?" Ichigo suddenly and confidently asked.

Shit...

Ichigo 100, Naruto 100.

* * *

"_Man_ this is getting rather troubling." Starrk muttered, running a lazy hand through his drizzly hair, noticing the slight moisture that it left in between his slender fingers. It seems the heat was getting to him. He never did like deserts. How he was still standing where he was he would never know. The Espada gave an infecting yawn, and shoved his left hand in his pocket. He could sense one hell of a chakra signature in that contraption flying overhead.

Starrk wouldn't deny wanting to tango a bit with him/her, but his chakra was already exhausted, so there was no point.

In a blur of black , and a disconcerting interruption of the still sand below his feet, a black blade pierced his back and out his chest in a mere moment of dozy musing. His gaze fell to the expertly crafted blade perturbing from his chest with a non-caring sigh. "Oops." Looks like he let his guard down; always happens when he loses interest. Nevertheless, the speed used by the enemy behind him to sneak through his peripheral sensing was nothing short of impressive, if not incredulous.

"You let your guard down, Espada." Naruto bluntly spoke.

"Indeed I did..." Starrk rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and closed his eyes to keep _some_ part of his dignity. The sand around them settled and the view became pristine, allowing Starrk to deem himself entertained by the looks of atrocious shock on all the faces of the people he had tried to blow up with his **Cero**. Honestly, he must look like a total fail to everyone in front of him now. Whatever, at least he had his fun.

Naruto stood behind Starrk back to back, his left hand grasping the hilt of Tensa Zangetsu like it was some sort of treasure, reversed grip and solemnly looking out into the desert in front of him. His back to all of those shinobi he once considered comrade's. Purposely showing his black coat to drag the moment of greatness in his exposed speed. His Rinnegan gaze inspected the desert in front of him. For some reason he felt disappointed; Suna hadn't changed.

Finally he gave a shallow sigh, and his Rinnegan sight lingered among the sand dunes for one more minute. "You're one tough clone." Naruto observed mellowed. He knew about Coyote Starrk, he knew well about his legendary power. Though it was _dwarfed_ by his legendary laziness. There's no way in hell someone like him would personally go and handle something one of his clones crammed with a ridiculous amount of chakra could. **Kage Bunshin** is the holy grail of all lazy people.

Starrk wasn't surprised he found out, he could tell the man responsible for the blade currently leaking his remaining chakra was of profound power. The original was taking a nap somewhere in Fire Countries border under a tree stump. While he may of been tempted to join him as well, the original Starrk summoned him for a reason. To follow through with Aizen's orders. So he created a **Kage Bunshin** crammed with half his chakra reserves. "You'd be surprised how much damage a clone can do with the equivalent worth of a **Bijuu Bombs** chakra huddled into it."

"Damn it, Kage-sama!" Ichigo landed next to him in a shower of sand, his facial muscles contorted into his trademark scowl. "I _said_; 'dibs on the dude with the long hair', what the hell?!" Ichigo grumbled. He was never allowed to do anything these day's. Hopefully in this war he'd get the chance to kill a few people, it's been a while.

"And I told you," Naruto twisted the black blade and Starrk's clone was immediately converted into a cloud of white smoke. "'If you can beat me to him, then he's all yours.' And you didn't." Naruto excused lamely. He placed the tip of his blade inside the sheath, and allowed gravity to take its course by letting it grind down until the guard struck home.

"You jumped out of the heli and shouted that halfway down! How the hell was that fair?!"

"Ichigo..." Naruto smiled fondly, his shimmering lilac eyes sparkled with the audacity of a teen in love. "Excuses are unbecoming of you, I-chi-go-_kun_!" Naruto winked.

Ichigo almost barfed in sheer disgust. He stood at attention and placed his right hand over his heart. "Forgive me, Kage-sama. It seems I misinterpreted my position as your servant. Please excuse me, I have to shove a finger down my throat to rid myself of the distaste in my mouth."

"No one's stopping you, HAHAHA!" Naruto roared with laughter as Ichigo glared at him with the intensity of a thousand supernovas. After a minute or so of laughing at Ichigo's expense, the blond mellowed down to contemplate his next move. Whiles Ichigo was holding the bad will of stabbing his own eyes out with Zangetsu.

"Kage-sama!"

Fortunately, he didn't need to, since his men which had bravely fought against Starrk came to stand before him. Along with his once comrade's and the company of Leaf and Suna shinobi. Naruto however refused to turn, not yet. Ichigo seeing this came to stand next to him on equal grounds. Both men stood a tall six feet high, their impressive stature incrementing their presence like a spotlight doming them with its intensity.

Immediately, his men fell to their right knee and placed their right hand over their heart's to show loyalty, their left hand grasping the hilts of their standard issue katana like some sort of lifeline. "Kage-sama! Kurosaki-sama!" Eagle all but shouted. Not risking or wishing to remove his gaze from the sand below him; a true spectacle of subordination. "As ordered, the five companies of Kumo shinobi were dealt with by my team! Zero casualties, zero injuries!" Eagle proclaimed, considering the few injuries he, Boar and Rave _did_ posses nonexistent by the sheer honor of being in the presence of both his captain, _and_ Kage.

The non-citizen's of the Land of The Six Paths watched in awe. The loyalty, the humility, the subordination, the respect they showed the blond man was something never before witnessed by them. Not even when they did something wrong were they so humble in front of their Kage. But as they bowed their head's and their gazes remained planted on the sand, they could see why such a man deserved the utmost respect.

The aura, the clothing, the stature, everything addressed the figure as someone with omnipotence. Someone with relevant grace and stunning power. He was the one responsible for the shrivelling of their very soul when they witnessed his power from miles away. He was the leader of the shinobi who imbued themselves with genius tactical warfare. He was the one who dispelled the opponent they were having so much trouble by stabbing him in the back.

He was the Rikudou Sennin.

The Rookies felt out of place, like they were somehow disrespecting the man in front of them. Like they didn't deserve to be in his presence, but at the same time felt like they knew him. The blond hair, the slender figure. All of it guided them towards some long forgotten memory. The memory of a man that was once their ray of sunshine, but was killed unjustly. All of these feelings seemed to accumulate and overpower their sense of curiosity, to the point that had them wondering something plainly obvious. Why was he not showing his face?

Naruto's seven Swordsmen fell all around him and stood straight with their chests out. Firmly standing like the proper shinobi they were, their faces lacking any contortions of feeling or emotion. The blond in question remained rooted with his back to them, watching in precedence how his machine's landed in front of him. How Sasuke and the Kage's somehow found a way to relinquish themselves from the apparatus in record time.

The Kage's and the bloodied shirtless Uchiha walked towards them without remorse. Sasuke who was in the front had a powerful crossing of eyes between him and Naruto, Sharingan met Rinnegan, and for the first time in his life, Sasuke found that he could not remain sterile glare-wise for long. He diverted his gaze onto Sakura behind all thirty of the kneeling shinobi who were undoubtedly Naruto's. He stopped in front of the blond and waited for her reaction to his condition.

Sakura, without a mundane thought of it, cut through the line of deadly shinobi like they weren't there. Immediately heading towards the injured Sasuke. For one, she noticed how the air became heavier as she made her way through the Kages' Swordsmen, even as she stood in front of Sasuke. "What happened to you? You look like you got run over by a stampede of Bijuu's." She quickly started to get to work, but noticed Sasuke's gaze remained locked with the Kage.

Sakura gently made to turn and came across various things. For one, two pairs of cold and haunted Rinnegan eyes, a black Swordsmen with the figure of a Greek Kami, long, sun kissed blond hair, and whisker marks that came across each of the mans cheeks. The latter aided to make her heart stop long enough to allow tears to prickle themselves in her green eyes like a newborn child. While the rest only helped in creating more question's to her already unresponsive brain.

"N-Naruto... y-you're... N-Naruto, a-aren't you...?" She couldn't allow herself to hope, but that small amount that flowed freely in her war torn heart was just waiting in anticipation to burst and hug the brain's out of the man in front of her. The tears that decorated the edges of her eyes accumulated enough substance to flow down her cheekbones, and she could of sworn her heart had just grown out of the protective shell it had buried itself into to avoid being hurt by this war any further.

The memories of absolute guarantee that she would be unharmed when Naruto promised her as such back then came back flowing like a raging river. Faith that if this truly was Naruto, then this war could now end, and her life could be complete by having _him_ back in it. The steady flow of chakra being concentrated on Sasuke's chest ceased and she openly gawked at the blond with the eyes of a woman that would break if the man in front of her denies her last hope with a single word.

Naruto stared into Sakura's green eyes with complete stoicism. Thankful that his Rinnegan eyes were a valuable asset to relinquish all emotion. However, deep inside he felt crestfallen. What had happened to this girl to completely infuse the last of her sanity into what remained of her hope for him to be himself? Exactly what had this war done to her? And were the other Rookies this downsized mentally-wise from this continued river of blood that had been going on for six year's?

Naruto took a deep breath and ignored her question, then fully turned to face both his troops and the Rookies. His Rinnegan seemed to validate them all with as little as a glance; his own personal test of power. All seven of his Swordsmen took a single step back at the same time, and imitated the show of respect that Eagle and his men were giving their Kage. Their right hand over their heart's representing respect and loyalty, their bowed head representing humbleness, their kneeling position's representing subordination, and their left hand on the hilts of their blade's representing their life's laid to do his bidding.

"I am the son of the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure, Namikaze Minato, and his beautiful wife, Uzumaki Kushina. _Proud_ Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi No Kitsune, known as Kurama. Creator of the Land of the Six Paths, as well as founder and Shodaime Kage of the Village Hidden in the Planet. Wielder of the legendary Dojutsu; the Rinnegan. Titled as the Rikudou Sennin and praised as the Child of Prophecy by Jiraiya of the Sannin. My name, is Uzumaki Naruto!"

"We swear loyalty and perseverance in the face of adversity! To fight and maintain our world of peace and love for all of our citizen's! To kill for thee and die for thee until thou dying breath! Uzumaki Naruto! Shodaime Kage of Wakuseigakure No Sato!" All citizens of the Land of the Six Paths chorused out loud.

"Rise!" Naruto exclaimed, to which his men and Swordsmen quickly rose and stood with their arms to their sides. Their countries anthem giving them a sense of honor and fate, reminiscent of the moment when becoming a shinobi of their village.

Like a guided missile, Hinata squirmed through Naruto's shinobi with her incompatible flexibility; like a snake brushing through tall grass.

Naruto for once, was completely taken aback by this not so subtle approach, as his shocked expression showed.

*_**CLIIING!**_!*

Hinata was stopped just a few feet from Naruto, just a few feet...

Soi Fon appeared out of nowhere and clashed blades with Hinata. The Hyuuga girl's intent in beating or raping -she was sure she could decide before closing the distance between them- the crap out of Naruto was partially... intercepted. Merely a small distance away, this woman just appeared bringing her blade down on her. To which she had no other choice but to bring about her own. Otherwise she was pretty sure this bitch would of sliced her in half. That could not happen, not when Naruto had yet to take her virginity.

The blond in question regained his emotionless facade and went forth to intercept further conflict.

Soi Fon retracted her short blade and indorsed herself in a full turn to bring her right foot towards Hinata's face. The latter turned herself and brought her right leg forward to stop the foot heading for her exposed self. Neither met the other however, as Naruto appeared in the middle, one hand stopping Soi Fon, one hand stopping Hinata. "Enough..." Naruto swung them both before letting go of their ankles and sending them rocketing across the air.

Hinata was sent spiraling over Naruto's DEMOLITION team, while Soi Fon was sent straight towards Yoruichi. Hinata turned her body in mid-air thanks to her unparalleled flexibility and met the sand in a kneeling position to slide over it like it was made of ice. While Soi Fon was caught by the collar of her uniform by a frowning Yoruichi, to which she dismissed by glaring somewhere else entirely.

Yoruichi ignored the rotors of hundred's of helicopters flying high in the air, from which Soi Fon dropped from. Instead, she bopped the woman on top of the head and frowned at the kneeling female. "Soi Fon. _What_, was _that_?!" Yoruichi demanded of her Fukutaicho. Soi Fon mumbled a barely audible apology that sounded all but honest. Aside from that however, she remained glaring at Hinata with the eyes of a jealous woman.

Naruto gave a shallow sigh as he stood in between his troops and his Swordsmen, wondering if his purpose, his goals, and his very existence, all of it lead him to stand here. In the middle of a mass of extremely powerful shinobi. Mainly shinobi who were his subordinates as well as friends. If someone had told him he'd be standing on this very spot six years ago, after Pains defeat, he would of considered it utter ludicrous.

Now during all this time of musings, battle's, bloodshed and death. One thing remained as fresh as the day he first heard it from all those years ago.

_Because I love you, Naruto-kun_

The three words he thought would never be directed to him. In effect, she was constantly in his mind during those few times when his world felt empty and on the edge of solemness. She was the one who through herself to Pain without any mundane thought of doing otherwise. At first reaction, he considered it ridiculous and reckless, _stupid_ even. But as those thoughts settled, in came the involuntary feelings of marvel and admiration for her actions.

Naruto turned and observed how Hinata's beauty enticed lavender moons stared right back with something bordering between love and disappointment. He wasn't surprised, not when the man she loved was supposedly dead for six year's after she summed up the courage to confess her feelings. He was however impressed to see her charge him like a raging bull after their first meeting in six year's. He didn't think she was _that_ pissed. Shows how well he understood women.

The Hyuuga girl was definitely not the kind to hold a grudge, even after all the events concurring through her life. But Naruto was special, he still is in fact. He was _alive_. She could feel those old feelings that had yet to be claimed resurfacing into her wounded heart almost immediately after those blond locks of hair came in between her line of sight. Her stomach doing somersaults even as her logical mind denied such a feat possible, her heart pouncing back in forth from its original position.

She was a girl in love, it could not be helped.

Slowly, she ordered her tired legs to start moving; to head for him. After finally getting a response she started walking towards him at a slow pace, her heart increasing its static pace with every step she took. As she walked through Naruto's shinobi, she could feel their interest infused glances sticking to her like an Explosive Tag. Taking one last step she stood before him, her shorter figure was dwarfed by his own, nonetheless she was not intimidated.

***_SLAP!_***

Naruto's head was jerked to the right by Hinata's vicious slap, causing all those in the surrounding area to wince both mentally and physically. There was _definitely_ chakra in that slap.

Naruto, although pained, accepted her violent gesture without reproach. In fact, he welcomed it. If she needed this, then who was he to deny her? His cheek ached yes, but it meant nothing if Hinata could release the pain accumulated after all these year's of thinking him dead. Naruto could of grinned feeling the burning sting of pain on his left cheek. Only a Hyuuga proficient in the Gentle Fist could use chakra to enhance the stinging power behind a slap. His left cheek looked like a tomato.

Slowly, Naruto adjusted his head, and lilac Rinnegan eyes met Lavender Byakugan ones. For a moment, just for a moment, time seemed to stop for Hinata. Like the world just became nonexistent, and nothing but Naruto existed in her little Hyuuga mind. Her eyes stinged, but she refused to let those pesky tears out. She had cried enough for the blond. Unfortunately, not even a trained ANBU could sustain their emotions to such an extent. The tears slid down the pale and delicate flesh she was blessed with, and denied the existence of the shuddered breath that left her dry pink lips.

Without warning, the Hyuuga through herself into Naruto with her arms curled up against the Kage's chest. She bit her bottom quivering lip till she predicted it would open. Her breathing became flustered and rabid, but she didn't care... he was alive. Nothing could possibly ruin this moment for her, not even the annoying thought telling her that sooner or later she'd have to get out of his warm personal space.

"I'm sorry, Hinata..." Hinata trembled and her heart fluttered feeling the mans arms surrounding her smaller figure like an impenetrable shield crafted from diamonds. His voice was rough but gentle at the same time, a tone that only helped in incrementing her soaring heart to new heights.

She barely reached his collarbone, but Naruto didn't mind. He actually preferred it like this, that way he could rest his head on top of hers in a reassuring fashion. Her hair was soggy from sweat and coated in sand, and it gave a faint trail of blood. However, Naruto's enhanced senses could detect the deep scent of lavender and cinnamon that naturally originated from her body. A scent he found oddly comforting.

"Naruto!" The blonds Rinnegan eyes sharpened drastically as the rest of the Rookies came forward running.

They all immediately stopped on their tracks however, when the Seven Swordsmen landed in front of both Naruto and Hinata with impressive force, lifting the sand from its slumber for a mere second. The Swordsmen stood tall and intimidating with their left hand resting on the handle of their katana, their eyes cold and void. Ready to assess the situation with appropriate handling if necessary. "Sorry," Ichigo stepped up. "But Kage-sama ordered us to let Hinata-san pass. None else."

"What?!" Ino shrieked. "Naruto we're your friends! We want to hug you too!"

"That's kinda gay," Kiba excused scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I just wanna shake his hand or something, haha!"

"Naruto," Hinata inquired. "Why are you not letting them say hi to you? They have missed you as much as I have."

"Simple." Kenpachi stepped up next to Ichigo, a grin that portrayed his thirst for blood. Threatening all those that had the balls to cross them. "Some of ya might be one of tha' bastards that tried ta' kill the Kage. Back _then_."

Instantly, the Rookies were surrounded by all 30 DEMOLITION task force member's with their hand's resting on their handles to draw both the blade and blood out of the possible enemies. "Orders?" Eagle requested eagerly, his blade already halfway drawn and the steel exposed, ready to slice flesh and bone alike. If they had so much as lifted a finger against their Kage, heh, their lives are forfeit...

* * *

**A/N: So apparently the amount of people in favor of longer chapters are the same as those that want shorter but more constant. Weird... I honestly thought people liked longer one's. Oh well, I'll just make short and long, depending on my mood. Got this one out a little later then I'd like, mainly because I got caught up in Guilty Crown. Not gunna point any fingers but *Cough* TheAlleyKat *Cough* might be the culprit. Loved it btw, that bittersweet ending though... ehh... not my favorite part... p.s. HURRAY FOR 200 REVIEWS \(*-*)/!**


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